The quest for universal human rights

The theory of cultural relativism has stemmed partly from a disbelief in the existence of any normative moral standard. The rise of cultural relativism is a postmodern phenomenon, but originally it was a modern theory with its roots in the German enlightenment. If there is no truth independent of humankind against which they can judge their values, then human beings can collectively deny the primacy of human rights (for example, the practice of cannibalism cannot be considered immoral).

It is safe, therefore, to conclude that unless rationalism is anchored in a faith, in the transcendent nature of the universe and inherent moral endowment of human beings, the universality of human rights principles can never be defended. This inherent moral worth and endowment of humankind is precisely the essence of (de-Christianised)  natural Law, which is generally recognised as the historical and philosophical foundation of the modern notion of human rights. Once de-linked from Christian thought, the essence of  natural Law can be accommodated into both religious and agnostic world views. To cite an example here, the Islamic concept of fitra denotes “a common human ontology” that doctrinally makes a part of the Qur’anic world view  Thus, natural Law and fitra are identical in essence.

The generally assumed position that human rights principles can only be upheld in secular societies is problematic. The belief in “rights-holding individuals” is a value that is not contingent upon secularism. Nazi Germany was a secular state. North Korea, Uzbekistan and China are secular nation-states that hold disastrous human rights records.

On the other hand, moderate Islamic political cultures in Jordan and Egypt account for much higher human rights scores, according to the research findings of Daniel Price - an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Studies at Kent State University in the US - who has developed a numerical index of the relationship between political culture and human rights violation. Price’s research findings pertaining to a large sample of 23 Islamic countries and 23 non-Islamic developing countries provide evidence that Islamic political culture is not a determining factor in the appraisal of human rights practices and “[t]he poor human rights records of many Islamic countries are a result of authoritarian government rather than Islamic political culture”.

In a nutshell, the belief in the sanctity of human beings - the principle that they, as individuals, hold inalienable rights above the nation-state monopoly or social hegemony, and not necessarily secular ideologies, are a prerequisite for sustainable human rights communities. The invariable route to effectively defend the universality of human rights principles, at an abstract level of ideas, is to assume a metaphysical position with reference to the inherent moral worth and endowment of humankind. Until this metaphysical position is duly regarded, the sanctity of lives of future Nguyens could not be universally defended.