Sorour in a Lecture at the BA: Human Rights is not a Western Concept but a Shared Human Heritage
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Alexandria—
Dr. Fathi Sorour, Speaker of the Egyptian People’s Assembly, gave a lecture at the BA on Saturday, 20 December, entitled “The Culture of Human Rights”. Attendees included General Adel Labib, Governor of Alexandria, in addition to senior officials, intellectuals, university professors, judges, police officers, media representatives as well as students.
In the beginning of his lecture, Dr. Sorour expressed his delight to be hosted by the BA, which is regaining its ancient glory in culture, scientific research and enlightenment. He said that the culture of human rights is very significant to both Egypt and the entire world, especially that the world is celebrating the passage of 60 years since the United Nations adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Sorour added that the topic of human rights is very problematic and poses several dilemmas. The first is questioning the universality of human rights, since the principles included in different international covenants related to human rights are, to a great extent, referring to ideas about the individual, the community and the state drawn from the western culture, even if these covenants were adopted by different countries with different cultural backgrounds.
He pointed out that in analyzing this issue, we should remember that the declaration and agenda agreed upon in the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna in 1993, had highlighted the importance of respecting the cultural and religious particularities of peoples, while emphasizing that these considerations should not, by any means, infringe upon the universality of human rights.
Sorour added that the key point, in which we all should believe, is the fact that human rights are not a Western concept but a shared human heritage that was influenced by different cultures and civilizations throughout history, even if using different terminologies, for the essence of human rights is liberty, justice, equality, dignity and solidarity.
In the same context, Sorour maintained that the second dilemma lies in discovering our own heritage and values, in light of contemporary concepts of human rights, to regain the “cultural legitimacy” of human right principles in Arab and Islamic societies.
Sorour added that the third dilemma posed by the culture of human rights has two axes: spreading this culture and discussing differences. Regarding the first axis, education plays a key role in creating the culture of human rights, since the culture of human rights would not be deeply-rooted in the society without spreading democratic practices, for both complement each other. The second axis can be achieved through cultural dialogue, however this goal has not been reached due to the many challenges before it, which might, on different occasions, lead to misunderstanding.
The last dilemma has to do with commitments resulting from the universality of human rights. The concept of the universality of human rights has developed to establish a third generation of human right principles emerging from solidarity between members of the international community as an essential factor for human existence. Sorour concluded that these rights should meet peoples’ needs, for they are not just personal rights for humans. Examples of these rights would be the right to development, environment and peace, among others.