t was noted at the start of this booklet that nations with histories of religious persecution are more likely to flout human rights laws than countries which have strong democratic traditions of religious freedom and tolerance.
No government on earth respects all the rights of all its citizens all the time. But, as we have shown in Chapter 2, freedom of speech and religion receive substantially more protection from some European governments than from others.
Even the words “religious freedom,” “cult,” or “sect,” appear to mean different things depending on the nationality of the government official who utters them. Whereas tolerant and democratically-minded officials realise that one man’s cult is another man’s religion, some countries’ politicians use the term intentionally, fully aware of its denigratory and discriminatory effect.
Vested interests also play a part. A church which has been established for centuries in a country and has roots in its political and economic structure is not easily persuaded to forego its “religious monopoly.” This is evident in ongoing attempts to introduce language into the treaties governing the European Union that grant special recognition to the established churches. While apparently innocuous, extending privileged rights to any religion undercuts the whole basis of religious freedom. It opens the door to discrimination against anyone not of that religion.
For the sake of the freedom and happiness of individuals, respect for the principle of human rights must prevail. We have witnessed too often in this century that when freedom of speech, freedom of opinion and freedom of religion are overridden, fascism, “ethnic cleansing” and other evils take hold.
As the UN Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance has advised the UN Human Rights Commission in his annual reports to the UN on the state of religious intolerance around the world, the solution lies in education. Schools that teach intolerance will breed a generation of intolerant leaders and a nation which gives only a surface adherence to human rights principles, while continuing to persecute anyone whose religious beliefs and practises are different from those held by the majority or dictated by a tyrannical leader.
Schools and educational institutions that actively promote and teach the principles of religious freedom and understanding will graduate future leaders who will apply them to the benefit of all people.
It should therefore be an objective of everyone concerned for human rights to encourage that they be taught at secondary school and university level. They should form a part of the basic education of every man and woman.
A more detailed description of how to accomplish these goals is beyond the scope of this booklet. But there is something that everyone can do. Respect the rights of others. And, when you see those rights being flouted, express your disapproval. Do not go along with it. Remember: Human rights bodies declared the 1990s the Decade of Tolerance. That spirit must carry us into the next millenium.
“Action is the only remedy to indifference,” said Elie Wiesel during his acceptance speech when receiving the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize. Urging individuals everywhere who are concerned for human rights to speak out against religious persecution, he warned that silence and inaction are the soil which allows oppression to grow:
“Whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation, take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
These wise words have never been more applicable than they are today.
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