The Scientific Conference on Feasibility and Obstacles to Establishing Human Rights from an Eastern Perspective was held at Baqir al-Olum University in line with the International Eastern Human Rights Conference.

 According to Rasa News Agency’s Political Service, the Scientific Conference on Feasibility and Obstacles to Establishing Human Rights from an Eastern Perspective was held at Baqir al-Olum University in line with the International Eastern Human Rights Conference.

 

 The first day of the two-day scientific conference on Religions, Civilizations, and Human Rights, organized by Baqir al-Olum University and the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, was held on Wednesday at 12 PM in Shaheed Beheshti Hall at Baqir al-Olum University with the presence of human rights professors from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

 

 On the first day of this conference, speakers examined the feasibility and obstacles of achieving an alternative version of human rights with an Eastern approach in different religions, cultures, and civilizations.

 

 Initially, Professor Irfan Hutakalong from the Islamic University of Hidayatullah Jakarta, Indonesia, presented his paper entitled “The Capacity of Legal Systems, Constitutions, and Regional Human Rights Documents in Eastern Societies” and answered the audience’s questions.  Following this, Zia Alonto Adiong, a member of the House of Representatives and a peace and human rights activist in the Philippines, in his paper entitled “Complexities of Human Rights in the Autonomous Region of Bangsamoro in Muslim Mindanao,” examined the issue of peace and human rights in the Philippines.

 

 He stated that the concepts of human rights in Mindanao differ from those in the Philippines in several key aspects;  the Philippine constitution mentions the separation of church and state in Section 6 of Article II of the 1987 Constitution, while the Bangsamoro Organic Law anticipates several specific Islamic institutions.  Section 18 of Article IX anticipates the establishment of the Madrasa Educational System, Islamic Studies, and Arabic Studies.  At first glance, these concepts may seem in contradiction not only with the constitution but also with the more secular and Western context of the Philippines.  However, these steps are necessary to address historical injustices and create opportunities for real and lasting peace.

 

 Next, Professor Rahmat Muhammad, a law professor at the Faculty of Law at the University Teknologi MARA, Malaysia, and former chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, presented his paper entitled “Bridging Eastern and Western Human Rights” to discuss Malaysia’s perspective on human rights.  He said that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as a commitment for UN member states on the one hand, and the Federal Constitution of Malaysia as the supreme law of the country on the other hand, are the two primary sources of human rights in Malaysia that the country must balance in practice.

 

 Professor Rahmat Muhammad added that the application of human rights in Malaysia involves recognizing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Federal Constitution, and also Islam as the official religion of Malaysia alongside customary laws and the religion of other ethnicities in Malaysia, which is practiced through the Syariah Law.  The structure and framework of human rights laws will consider the aforementioned legal principles.  The duality of laws, with civil law being generally applied and the limited application of Syariah Law for Muslims in Malaysia, represents the legal landscape of human rights in Malaysia.