An unfortunate truth

Submitted by trans-parere (Canada), Feb 2, 2012 at 22:10

Tribalism, the ideological rift between Sunni and Shia, Islamic fundamentalism, all this will have the Muslim at odds for some time to come. Which is why I say that the Western Democracies must be equally relentless in demanding the acceptance of the universality of individual rights and freedoms.

The values inherent in the declaration of human rights, the rights of the individual must become part of the debate within Islam from the very start. And the Muslim needs a living example. A believer. A defender. To see these values reflected in everyday life so they can accept that the rights and freedoms of the individual are more than rhetoric. That the rights and freedoms due each individual are not bargaining trinkets used to undermine a people but, a shield that protects them and whatever they choose to believe as individuals from the tyrants of the world.

The corollary to that statement is that we must do a better job as democracies in upholding these very same rights and freedoms. We can not continue to give support to governments who refuse to uphold the rule of law or adhere to the Constitutions which laid down our principles of governing. We can not have our governments, our leaders, politically, socially, economically saying one thing to the world and doing another at home. We must stop the message of hypocrisy and be willing to hold our own leaders accountable. Time will tell who puts the most effort forward, proving who actually believes what. Life's epic battle between the individual over the tyrant. tic toc, tic toc....

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