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Written by Haris Fatwa Dinal Maula – CRCS UGM Student
Translation by Maurisa Zinira – ICRS Doctoral Student
As a social norm that is intended to apply universally, the existence of Human Rights (HAM) is an inseparable part of the discourse and life of Muslims in today’s world. Formally, Muslim countries that are part of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) affirm the existence of human rights values through the contents of the opening of the OIC Guidelines Charter in 1972. This commitment is also shown by the number of Muslim countries that ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICSER) which was ratified in 1966. However, this formal acceptance did not necessarily make the human rights discourse accepted smoothly by the Muslim world. One of the crucial points in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which is being debated is about freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). On the other hand, the implementation and enforcement of human rights in Muslim countries is also still weak and is often in the spotlight.
Written by Krisharyanto Umbu Deta – CRCS UGM Student
Translated by Athanasia Safitri – ICRS Doctoral Student
Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), as part of the Human Rights (HR) value, is often seen as an advocacy tool oriented for the minority groups. However, this view tends to depreciate FoRB significance for a broader community, not just any particular group. In the Public Lecture International Conference on Religion and Human Rights, July 18, 2022, entitled “The Contribution of Freedom of Religion or Belief to Societal Peace”, Heiner Bielefeldt – who had served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief 2010-2016 – raised one interesting perspective on FoRB which has a potential contribution in bringing societal peace into life. This point of view is vital to review the interconnection between issues of peace and freedom which often do not go hand in hand. In the name of peace, harmony and order, violations of human rights and freedoms of the citizens may occur. For this reason, the paper re-examines Bielefeldt’s main ideas regarding the contribution of the FoRB to peace-building projects that are oriented towards genuine peace that is “noisy” instead of “tranquil”.