Human rights in Muslim-majority countries have been a hot-button issue for many decades. International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) such as Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) consistently find human rights violations in Muslim-majority countries. Amongst the human rights issues that are frequently under the spotlight are LGBT rights, the right to consensual sex outside of marriage, individual freedom of speech and political opinion. The issue of women's rights is also the subject of fierce debate.
When the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, Saudi Arabia refused to sign it as they were of the view that sharia law had already set out the rights of men and women. To sign the UDHR was deemed unnecessary. What the UDHR did do was to start a debate on human rights in the Islamic world. Following years of deliberation, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) adopted the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam.
When the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, Saudi Arabia refused to sign it as they were of the view that sharia law had already set out the rights of men and women. To sign the UDHR was deemed unnecessary. What the UDHR did do was to start a debate on human rights in the Islamic world. Following years of deliberation, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) adopted the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam.
International Human Rights Rank Indicator
The International Human Rights Rank Indicator (IHRRI), which combines scores for a wide range of human rights, is produced by the Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD); ratings in the table below are as of 11 October 2014. All Muslim countries have a human rights rating of less than 62%.
Here are the per cent and decimal of each country's contribution to human rights followed.
The population percentage figures below are from the Pew Research Center report, The Future of the Global Muslim Population, as of 27 January 2011; all majority Muslim countries (with population over 50% Muslim) are listed.
| Country | Muslim % of total population |
International Human Rights Rank Indicator rating |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 99.8 | 27.96% |
| Albania | 82.1 | 52.15% |
| Algeria | 98.2 | 33.49% |
| Azerbaijan | 98.4 | 44.40% |
| Bahrain | 81.2 | 47.03% |
| Bangladesh | 90.4 | 47.20% |
| Brunei | 51.9 | 29.99% |
| Burkina Faso | 58.9 | 41.14% |
| Chad | 55.7 | 21.68% |
| Comoros | 98.3 | 37.89% |
| Djibouti | 97 | 37.31% |
| Egypt | 94.7 | 42.67% |
| Guinea | 84.2 | 38.90% |
| Indonesia | 88.1 | 29.29% |
| Iran | 99.7 | 36.22% |
| Iraq | 98.9 | 30.42% |
| Jordan | 98.8 | 45.83% |
| Kazakhstan | 56.4 | 47.09% |
| Kuwait | 86.4 | 48.25% |
| Kyrgyzstan | 88.8 | 38.55% |
| Lebanon | 59.7 | 42.53% |
| Libya | 96.6 | 36.95% |
| Malaysia | 61.4 | 52.10% |
| Maldives | 98.4 | 48.17% |
| Mali | 92.4 | 30.58% |
| Mauritania | 99.2 | 40.01% |
| Mayotte | 98.8 | 37.47% |
| Morocco | 99.9 | 50.92% |
| Niger | 98.3 | 35.60% |
| Oman | 87.7 | 45.73% |
| Pakistan | 96.4 | 38.61% |
| Palestine | 97.5 | 44.93% |
| Qatar | 77.5 | 47.80% |
| Saudi Arabia | 97.1 | 27.08% |
| Senegal | 95.9 | 29.17% |
| Sierra Leone | 71.5 | 21.51% |
| Somalia | 98.6 | 22.71% |
| Sudan | 71.4 | 30.21% |
| Syria | 92.8 | 23.82% |
| Tajikistan | 99 | 40.11% |
| The Gambia | 95.3 | 35.80% |
| Tunisia | 97.8 | 50.47% |
| Turkey | 98.6 | 47.64% |
| Turkmenistan | 93.3 | 43.04% |
| United Arab Emirates | 76 | 61.49% |
| Uzbekistan | 96.5 | 36.77% |
| Western Sahara | 99.6 | 27.55% |
| Yemen | 99 | 41.91% |
Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam
The CDHR was signed by member states of the OIC in 1990 at the 19th
Conference of Foreign Ministers held in Cairo, Egypt. It was seen as the
answer to the UDHR. In fact, the CDHR was "patterned after the
UN-sponsored UDHR of 1948". The object of the CDHR was to "serve as a guide for member states on human rights issues."
CDHR translated the Qur'anic teachings as follows: "All men are equal
in terms of basic human dignity and basic obligations and
responsibilities, without any discrimination on the basis of race,
colour, language, belief, sex, religion, political affiliation, social
status or other considerations. True religion is the guarantee for
enhancing such dignity along the path to human integrity." On top of references to the Qur'an, the CDHR also referenced prophetic teachings and Islamic legal tradition.
While the CDHR can be seen as a significant human rights
milestone for Muslim-majority countries, Western commentators have been
critical of it. For one, it is a heavily qualified document.
The CDHR is pre-empted by shariah law – "all rights and freedoms
stipulated [in the Cairo Declaration] are subject to Islamic Shari'ah."
In turn, though member countries appear to follow shariah law, these
laws seem to be ignored altogether when it comes to "[repressing] their
citizens using torture, and imprisonment without trial and
disappearance." Abdullah al-Ahsan describes this as the Machiavellian attempt which is "turning out to be catastrophic in the Muslim world."
Individual countries
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has been under the human rights spotlight for a number
of decades, receiving increased attention from the early 1990s onwards.
Much of the period between the 1940s to 1980s was characterized by
Saudi's perceived passivity on the issue as well as its refusal to sign
the UDHR.
The period thereafter has seen a significant uptake on the matter. It
all began with Saudi's handling of the Second Gulf War in 1991, which
created much unhappiness and opposition amongst its citizens.
Thereafter, a group of Saudi citizens attempted to establish a
non-governmental human rights organization called the Committee for the
Defence of Legitimate Rights ("CDLR"). Within weeks of its formation, Saudi authorities arrested many of its members and supporters.
Following the release of its main founder and president-Almasari, the
committee was reformed in London where it received attention from human
rights organisations worldwide. CDLR's work shed much-needed light on the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia that was previously clouded in secrecy.
The events which have followed since the early 1990s such as the
end of the Cold War, the Gulf War and the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the
United States of America, has further impacted the issue of human rights
in Saudi, more so than any other country.
Since these events, Saudi has steadily opened itself up to scrutiny by
international agencies; they have also participated and engaged the
human rights front more actively. Amongst them, the country has allowed
visits from Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups. Saudi has also joined the international human rights legal arrangements which means that the country is legally subject to Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
While some have lauded the progress made, others have remained
highly critical of the country. In a 2013-human rights review of Saudi
by CountryWatch, it is said that Saudi has a "poor record of human
rights" with the country's law "not [providing] for the protection of
many basic rights".
The report goes on to detail the many shortcomings in the country such
as corruption, lack of transparency, the presence of corporal
punishments and the lack of separation between the three branches of the
State i.e. Judiciary, Executive and Legislature.
By 2017, Saudi Arabian authorities had intensified their efforts in cracking down against human rights activists. Many activists, including one who provided information to Amnesty International,
have been detained or appeared in court for their work acknowledging
the Saudi authorities plan to continue their crackdown on peaceful
opposition. Human rights activists are vanishing, prosecuted, jailed or
forced into exile which shows authorities' intolerance with freedom of
expression.
Pakistan
The human rights situation in Pakistan is generally regarded as poor by domestic and international observers. Initially, the 1973 Constitution twice enjoins "adequate provision shall be made for minorities" in its preamble, and the Fourth Amendment (1975) guaranteed at least six seats in the National Assembly
would be held by minorities to safeguard their "legitimate interests".
However, the human rights record of Pakistan declined under the
dictatorship of the US-supported General Zia. General Zia introduced Sharia Law which led to Islamization of the country. The current regime in Pakistan has been responsible for torture, extrajudicial executions and other human rights violations. Honor killings are also common in Pakistan.
Turkey
Turkey is considered by many as being the exemplary country of the
Muslim world where a satisfactory compromise is made between the values
of Islamic and Western civilisations.
One of the main reasons cited for Turkey's significant improvement in
its human rights efforts over the past few decades is the country's push
towards satisfying European Union pre-conditions for membership.
In 2000, AI, on the back of visits made to the country to observe
human rights practices, found that Turkey was demonstrating signs of
greater transparency compared to other Muslim countries. In 2002, an AI
report stated that the Turkish parliament passed three laws "…aimed at
bringing Turkish law into line with European human rights standards." The same report further noted that "AI was given permission to open a branch in Turkey under the Law on Associations."
Some of the latest human rights steps taken by Turkey include
"the fourth judicial reform package adopted in April, which strengthens
the protection of fundamental rights, including freedom of expression
and the fight against impunity for cases of torture and ill-treatment;
the peace process which aims to end terrorism and violence in the
Southeast of the country and pave the way for a solution to the Kurdish
issue; the September 2013 democratisation package which sets out further
reform, covering important issues such as the use of languages other
than Turkish, and minority rights."
Further progress was also recorded on the women's rights front
where Turkey was the first country to ratify the Council of Europe
Convention against Domestic Violence.
Also, in 2009, the Turkish government established a Parliamentary
Committee on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women to look at reducing
the inequality between the sexes.
Despite all these advancements, there are still many significant
human rights issues troubling the country. In a 2013-human rights report
by the United States Department of State, amongst the problems to
receive significant criticism were government interference with freedom
of expression and assembly, lack of transparency and independence of the
judiciary and inadequate protection of vulnerable populations.
Human Rights Watch has even gone as far as to declare that there has
been a "human rights rollback" in the country. According to the report,
this has taken place amidst the mass anti-government protests which took
place in 2013. Under the current leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,
the ruling party has become increasingly intolerant of "political
opposition, public protest, and critical media".
Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran has one of the worst human rights
records of any country in the world. Amongst the most serious human
rights issues plaguing the republic are "the government’s manipulation
of the electoral process, which severely limited citizens’ right to
change their government peacefully through free and fair elections;
restrictions on civil liberties, including the freedoms of assembly,
speech, and press; and disregard for the physical integrity of persons
whom it arbitrarily and unlawfully detained, tortured, or killed."
In 2014, Human Rights Watch reported that despite changes to the
penal code, the death penalty was still liberally meted resulting in one
of the highest rates of executions in the world. On top of that,
security authorities have been repressing free speech and dissent. Many
opposition parties, labour unions and student groups were banned and
scores of political prisoners were still locked up.
The country has generally closed itself off to outside
interference. The government has refused the request of the United
Nations to have Special Rapporteur-Ahmed Shaheed report on the human
rights situation in the country though they did, however, announce that
two UN experts would be allowed to visit in 2015.
