’Defensive Jihad’ Not Antithetical to Human Rights says Amnesty international: Shocked Rights Activists Respond

[Harsh Kapoor]

Human Rights For All

(http://www.human-rights-for-all.org)


PRESS RELEASE

April 1, 2010

Amnesty International responds to the global petition and a response
from the petitioners

In a letter in response to the Global Petition to Amnesty
International, the Secretary General of Amnesty International makes a
shocking and incredible claim that "Defensive Jihad not antithetical
to Human Rights". If this is the official position of the world’s
leading human rights organisation, this would gravely undermine the
future of the human rights movment.

The rationale and call for ‘defensive jihad’ runs through many muslim
fundamentalist texts. It is precisely ‘defensive jihad’ that the
Taleban use to legitimise its anti human rights actions such as the
beheading of dissidents, attacks on minorities, attacks on schools and
religious shrines and the public lashing of women. A similar logic
based on ‘defence of religion’ is used by the Christian right to
justify the killing of doctors providing abortion services as well as
by Hindutva fundamentalists to justify their violent attacks against
Muslims and Christians in India.

We are revealing and making public (see attached documents) the full
text of the letter received from secretary General of Amnesty
international in response to the ’Global Petition to Amnesty
International: Restoring the Integrity of Human Rights’ and also the
Response sent by Initiators of Global Petition

The highlights of the response sent to Amnesty International by
Initiators of Global Petition are:

  * Endorsement of the concept of ‘defensive jihad’ by an organization
such as Amnesty International calls into question its commitment to
research the ideological underpinnings of acts of terrorism and its
commitment to the eradication of discrimination on the basis of
sex/gender and religion.

  * In the present climate, within the mainstream human rights world,
a serious challenge is being posed to the principles of universality
and equality by a host of concessions to ‘traditional values’ and
‘cultural rights’.

  * Amnesty International should make public the following information
- Investigative research which informs decisions on partnerships and
alliances:
        o What process of investigation was carried out to determine
whether Moazzam Begg was a suitable partner for Amnesty International?

  * Allow real internal debate and give individuals within Amnesty
International including at the level of National Sections, the right
to act according to their conscience and to exercise their freedom to
dissent.

Released to the world media by Human Rights For All Campaign.


Response to Amnesty International from the Initators of the Global Petition
  Full Text original in PDF Date: 29 March 2010 - PDF - 152.5 kb
  (URL: http://tinyurl.com/ydmet8g)


Letter from Claudio Cordone, Secretary General of Amnesty International
  Full Text original in PDF Date: 28 February 2010 - PDF - 101.7 kb
  (Located at: http://tinyurl.com/ybd2ep5)

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Released to the media by Human Rights For All Campaign
(Press Release URL: http://www.human-rights-for-all.org/spip.php?article53)