Press Release
Muslims Should Not Only Reject ICERD, but also UDHR, UN, and all other Western-Origin Thought, Systems and Laws

It was reported that the event organized by the Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) in Petaling Jaya on 9/12/2018 was attended by only 200 people. The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, who was initially invited to speak at the event, had decided not to attend in lieu of his disagreement with SUHAKAM regarding the ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). The Mahathir-led government has decided not to ratify ICERD, while SUHAKAM Chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail insisted that Malaysia should ratify the said convention as well as six other unratified United Nations’ (UN) human rights conventions. So far, Malaysia has only ratified three of the nine international conventions related to human rights namely the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Children's Rights Convention (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

In his speech, Razali said SUHAKAM is committed to ensuring that human rights in Malaysia are practiced and preserved systematically in all aspects based on the Rukun Negara (National Pillars) and the Federal Constitution. He mentioned that, "Even though some factions associate SUHAKAM and human rights as a western concept that violates religion, this is either a shallow view or there is another motive behind their arguments”, as reported by Berita Harian online. It is too bad that the SUHAKAM Chairman does not accept the shallow but correct views, but cling to the deep but incorrect views by holding on to the principles of human rights instead of Islam. Human rights is most definitely a Western concept. The tyranny and atrocities inherent in the West due to the iron claw rules and the implementation of man-made systems and laws, are the cause of the birth of the ideas of human rights in the West.

In contrast, Islam is a complete, just and compassionate Deen that comes from Allah (swt), which does not require any Western products (including human rights) to complete it.

It is generally known that December 10 of every year has been celebrated as the International Day of Human Rights. The UN chose this date in honor of the Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 10 December 1948. UDHR was born out of the minds of 18 members of the Human Rights Commission established under the UN in 1947 chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt (former wife of President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt). It was later approved by the UN through Resolution 217 A (III) on the 10th of December 1948, which was convened in Paris at that time.

Is it not clear enough that as a product of the UN, which its establishment was to eliminate Islam, UDHR that stems from a Commission that consists of only the Kuffar, the ideas of human rights are clearly against Islam?

A day before the SUHAKAM gathering, that is on 8/12/2018, Kuala Lumpur witnessed a sea of people where Muslims, especially the Malays held a rally of gratitude due to the government’s decision not to ratify ICERD. Although the rally lost its element of "gratitude" as what mainly reverberated in the rally are voices of nationalism and critics on the government, but the rally did manifest the Muslims’ rejection of ICERD. It was unfortunate that the rejection of ICERD was not based on the Islamic creed but clad with racial sentiments and defending the colonial inherited Constitution. May this noble Ummah will, after this, reject all Western products which contradicts Al-Quran and As-Sunnah with full Islamic spirit alone. Had this Ummah has risen to reject ICERD which is clearly a UN product, then they must also rise to reject UDHR and whatever products originated from the UN and from the West such as democracy, freedom, liberalism, secularism, feminism and others. Insha Allah when this Ummah has the awareness and rises to reject all forms of thought, systems and laws that comes from the West, the Islamic victory is indeed very near.

Abdul Hakim Othman
Spokesperson of Hizb ut Tahrir in Malaysia