Human Rights Day: Religious Perspectives and Today’s Reality.

International Human Rights Day is celebrated every year on December 10. On this day in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which declares the protection of fundamental human rights through 30 articles. Today, more than 75 years later, human rights violations continue to alarmingly exist around the world. Religiously, human rights are not a new concept; Rather, the ancient scriptures have established the solid foundation of human dignity, freedom, justice and equality.

Human rights from a religious perspective-

*Islam and human rights
Islam has given the highest place to human dignity.

Respect for people:
Al-Qur’an says:
“Surely I have honored the son of Adam.” (Surah Isra 17:70)

Religious Freedom:
“There is no compulsion in religion.” (Surah Baqarah 2:256)
Right to Life:
“Killing an innocent person is tantamount to killing the entire human race.” (Surah al-Maida 5:32)
Equality and justice
“Do justice, even if it goes against yourselves or your relatives.” (Surah Nisa 4:135)
Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ delivered the historic Declaration of Human Rights in his last Hajj speech, where he emphasized the security of life and property,
women’s rights,
fair wages of workers,
Abolition of caste-
He established these basic rights. It was considered a universal human rights charter before the modern UDHR.

*Christianity:
The Bible describes respect and love for humanity as the highest values.
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39)
Human compassion, mercy and protection of the weak are central to the moral teaching of Christianity.

*Hinduism:
The mantras of the Vedas speak of unity, equality and mutual respect among people.
“May the welfare of all.” (Sarbe Bhadrani Pasyantu)
The path of non-violence and honesty is considered as the basic foundation of human rights.

*Buddhism:
Buddha’s vision was human liberation and equality.
non-violence and compassion towards animals, right of people to take independent decisions,
Path to remove suffering.
All these are deeply related to human rights ideology.
Modern context and statistics of human rightsAccording to the report of the international organization Amnesty International, in 2023-2024, serious human rights violations occurred in more than 60 countries around the world.
According to the United Nations, more than 110 million people are currently displaced by war and conflict in the world.
UN Women data: 1 in 3 women in the world experience violence in their lifetime.
UNICEF reports: Nearly 150 million children are engaged in child labor—a major violation of child rights.
These statistics prove that human rights are still facing serious challenges.

Religion and Human Rights:

A common goal
Any religion speaks of human dignity, freedom, justice, mercy and equality. Religious precepts call people to humanity, and human rights law seeks to implement that humanity through state and international structures.
Religious morality awakens the inner conscience of man, and human rights law provides social and state protection to that conscience.

Context of Bangladesh:

Fundamental human rights are guaranteed in Articles 27-44 of the Bangladesh Constitution.
Equality, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, justice, education.

Child Rights:

These are protected by the constitution.
Bangladesh is making steady progress in protecting human rights, combining religious values, constitutional commitments and international human rights declarations—though real challenges remain.

Conclusion:

Human Rights Day reminds us,
Human dignity is the foundation of humanity.
Religious teachings, international law, constitutions—everywhere mentions the protection of human dignity.
If we can apply religious morality and sense of human rights to society, then a just,It is possible to build a peaceful and humane world.