WUNRN
Presentation of Sheikh Abdel-Halim Sharara - Lebanon Muslim Religious Leader Representative
UN Human Rights Council Session 26 – Panel
June 17, 2014
Palais des Nations - Room
XXIV
In the name of God the Most Gracious, the Most
Merciful
Praise be to God who created man of the best
breed and offered us his righteous religion.
May His Peace and Blessings be upon His Prophets
and Messengers especially the last of the prophets Mohammed and his impeccable
family.
Violence, i.e. the use of illegitimate power to
hurt the other by exploiting or harming him or by limiting his legitimate
freedom is prohibited
in religions in general and Islam in particular in all its departments and
headlines, and its ranks. This prohibition covers security and military
violence and political violence, and social violence including domestic violence and violence
against women. Religious prohibition of violence does not distinguish between
strength and weakness as
long as it applies to this definition. It prohibits as well moral violence, that
threatens the person in his dignity, and material violence from the least
threatening to the one endangering the security or the life of the other.
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Islam prohibits the use of
illegitimate force {Fight them until there is no (more) tumult/misguidance,
and the religion be to God, so if they ended/ stopped, so no transgression/
violation, except on the unjust/ oppressive} (Quran, Baqara 193).
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Islam prohibits as well any
gender- based violence {And when one
of them was announced good news of {the birth of} a female, his face becomes
dark and he suppresses grief. He hides himself from the people because of the
ill of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it
in the ground? Unquestionably, evil is what they decide} (Quran, Nahl
58-59), {and when the girl who was buried alive was asked for what sin she
was killed} (Quran, Takwir 8,9).
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Islam prohibits any kind of
harm to the other “no harm nor damages in Islam” (Hadith).
- It prohibits coercion and arbitrary deprivation {And do not compel your young women /youths to prostitution, if they desire chastity, to seek {thereby} the temporary interests of worldly life} (Quran, Nur 33), {O you who have believed, it is not lawful for you to inherit women by compulsion. And do not make difficulties for them in order to take {back} part of what you gave them} (Quran, Nisa 19).
Of these religious truth stems role cleric in
general, and religious scholar in the Muslim community, especially, in the face
of violence and refusing flatly in all his general circles and in circles hoc
most importance and seriousness of domestic violence and violence against
women, as the two circles of the most influential and the most affected in
formation of the cultural phenomena and
the production of public attitudes.
The role of the religious scholar is determined
by faith and legislations that constitute the intellectual and cultural
structure of the Muslim individual or society. Playing this role is his main
religious obligation that expresses his relationship with the Creator, abiding
by His rules and being obedient to Him.
Allow me here to stop at the use of the term religious
scholar, at the Islamic level; the term encompasses the scientific approach
that determines the traits of this role and gives it an ethical dimension far
from the concept of authority. This is different from the term clergyman
that is generally linked to the concept of authority. A Muslim religious scholar
is a social position, aiming at caring for and protecting society far from
authority regardless if it is in power or in the opposition. This represents an
alternative parallel track to the authoritarian political one; both tracks may
intersect at the level of social justice that the authority provides, it also
may replace the authority, temporarily, in case the latter collapses because of
an external aggression or internal turmoil. The religious scholar position,
taken from this angle, is not an authority because this position shows an
ethical commitment between the society and the religious scholar; thus, no
religious commitment leads to the creation of an authority unless it expresses
the choice of the society.
Based on this position that introduces and
integrates the religious scholar to the civil society fabric, far from keeping
him in parallel to it, he starts culturally building the society with faith
and its generated virtuous values
creating individual and public behavior that comply with legislations. This
goes in pair of course with his role in orienting the nets of relations and
interest in harmony with the faith of society, its values and culture.
From this wide angle, the religious scholar
challenges violence in general and domestic violence and violence against women
in particular, because he is the most qualified to use the pedagogic and
structural speech: for people, he is the most trustworthy and they are keen on
accepting what he says; for them, he is the most authentic in society so they
interact with him.
It is obvious then that the role of the scholar
is essential; it cannot be ignored or forgotten in any reform process aiming at
extracting violence in general and domestic violence and violence against women
in particular. This mainly applies when dealing with human and Islamic spaces,
let alone during this very sensitive period of time that the human civilization
is going through, a period witnessing a recrudescence of violence at all
levels, regardless the reason behind it.
Many paradoxes may threaten the role of the
scholar, hinder his influence and confuse the interaction with him:
1-
The confusion between concepts, legislations and
religious values on the one hand, and
concepts, customs and traditions in religious societies at the level of faith
and religious beliefs on the other hand,
resulting from the historic projections that led to a misinterpretation and
wrongful practices that have repercussions on religion, its process and its
implementation. This fact puts religion in the accused prompting religious
scholars to take the position of the defender, consuming their efforts instead
of fully focusing on producing an educational and structural discourse inspired
by the nobility of religion, its human depth and Godly dimension.
Isn’t it time for the intellectual elite and the study centers to
distinguish between religion and its followers so that we are able to draft a
unifying reformatory discourse inspired by our noble and sacred religion
instead of being invaded by minor problems resulting of the acts of some
followers of religion and religious leaders are paying the price?
2-
The imbalance that occurs in distinguishing between the real scholars
and the pretentious intruders, impersonator this trait who do not deserve it
because the quality of scholar is way far from applying to them and because
they do not meet the required level that qualifies them to bear such a title.
This category of people attributed themselves to religious scholars, is a
dangerous obstacle to any reform process aiming at facing delinquency in
general and violence in particular. The recrudescence of violence today,
worldwide, stems from the negative role played by this category of people as a
result of their misinterpretation of values and religious legislations.
I think it is about time that the religious leaders all over the word
take a strict position to condemn these intruders; they need to warn the
international and Islamic societies of the danger they represent to
international security, peace and social security, including family and women.
3-
The confused approach with which the humanitarian and international
organizations tackle the issues of human rights, children, domestic violence,
violence against women and others. This approach leads in many cases to a
confrontation between them and the religious societies. These organizations
bypass, criticize or call to ignore religions. This confuses the role of
religious scholars in
the midst of these confrontations and helps extremism prevail over their highly
needed positive influence to correct any signs of delinquency. As an example only,
I will note the work method adopted in 1995 by the fourth international
conference for women in
In my
opinion, international and humanitarian organizations need to be aware of this trend exclusionary
ambiguous in approach religions and work to launch programs of studies and
plans dialogue aiming at reviewing religious values and concepts in a way that
leads to clearing them of the visionary projections and inspiration historical
practices based on customs and traditions and concepts, are not at all linked
to religion. These organizations need as well to be very accurate in drafting
their decisions and statements based on a new vision that helps to achieve some
harmony with the religious values and legislations. This way, scholars will be
able to efficiently contribute to the motivation of the religious society in
general to adopt the humanitarian concepts aiming at entrenching human rights,
namely those related to civil status, intimacy and in particular issues that
may be risky for the family and women.
This role of Religious Leaders and Religious
Scholars was successfully tried in practical experiences coordinated by Abaad
in
In conclusion, religious scholars expect all activists in the world, individuals and organizations, to work on positive assessment, to mobilize all efforts and capacities and to remove all hindrances and obstacles for a better world and a human being tending towards more perfection.
Thank you.
Sheikh Abdelhalim Sharara
Counselor at the Higher Jaafari religious court-
Director General for the religious summoning at the
Higher Islamic Shiaa Council -