Rejecting Violence and Hatred in International Law and the Abrahamic Religions

By Dr. Abdelaziz Tarekji,

Researcher in International Human Rights Violations

Violence and hatred are among the most pressing problems facing the world today. These phenomena have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, negatively affecting humanity and endangering people’s lives. Therefore, we must all work together to reject violence and hatred in all areas and sectors, at all levels, whether in international law or the Abrahamic religions.

However, there are significant efforts being made in many fields to reduce these phenomena and reject violence and hatred, promoting peace and peaceful coexistence among people. Nevertheless, these efforts are not enough in reality.

Fighting violence and hatred is one of the most prominent goals of the international community and the Abrahamic religions. This is evident in many legal and religious texts.

International Law:

In the spirit of international law, violence and hatred rise to the level of crimes against humanity and war crimes, and there are international legislations and courts that address these issues.

One of the most prominent of these legislations is the United Nations Charter, which aims to maintain international peace and security and to achieve international cooperation in dealing with issues such as aggression, threats of military use, and human rights violations.

In 1998, a permanent International Criminal Court was established to deal with crimes including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and to prohibit collective punishment, torture, unfair trials, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearances.

In the principles of international law, relations between all states are regulated on the principle of ensuring respect for human rights, justice, and permanent peace. One of the fundamental laws at the heart of international law is the intolerance of violence and hatred in all its forms.

In case of human rights violations, they are dealt with according to the provisions of international law. Rejecting violence and hatred in international law requires avoiding resorting to war except in necessary defensive cases and the legitimate use of force to resolve conflicts.

The United Nations has put in place many agreements, treaties, and laws to prevent wars. The UN Charter itself stipulates the protection of human rights and basic freedoms for all.

The United Nations is one of the institutions working to establish the principle of human rights and to reject violence and hatred. To this end, many international agreements have been adopted aimed at protecting human rights and rejecting violence and hatred.

One of the most prominent of these agreements is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. There are also many international laws and regulations that promote the protection of human rights and encourage the rejection of violence and hatred.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, states in Article 2 that “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion.”

The Declaration also emphasizes the right of individuals to freedom of expression, but at the same time specifies that freedom of expression must not be used to incite hatred or violence.

International organizations and national governments (in respectable countries) work diligently to enact laws that ensure the fight against violence and hatred, and that emphasize the need to protect human rights and promote values of peace and peaceful coexistence between nations and peoples.

Another example includes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1966, which prohibits incitement to hatred and violence on the basis of race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin, or social status.

Abrahamic religions and religious movements:

Abrahamic religions publicly and in their content call for love, tolerance, respect, appreciation of peace, and rejection of violence and hatred. In general, religions serve as a window into the world of charitable and humanitarian work, where their followers strive to achieve the public interest and social welfare of people and rescue them from difficult situations.

These religions call for solidarity, cooperation, providing support and assistance to vulnerable groups in society, and encourage charitable work to promote justice, peace, and tolerance. When we talk about violence and hatred, many Abrahamic religions emphasize the importance of peace, love, and tolerance.

Islam is one of the religions that call for rejecting violence and hatred and encourages peace and tolerance. Islam particularly emphasizes the need to teach people compassion, tolerance, and rejection of violence and hatred, through the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. The Holy Quran confirms that Allah loves those who do good and are righteous, and calls for reconciliation, renunciation of violence and hatred, as well as encourages forgiveness and tolerance.

In the Quran, Allah says “Do not take life, which Allah has made sacred, except by way of justice and law” meaning that it is not permissible for anyone to take the life of another person except in self-defense or in defense of one’s legitimate rights. Additionally, Islam urges tolerance and forgiveness, as Allah says in the Quran “Goodness and evil are not equal. Respond to evil with what is better. Then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend” which means that Islam urges responding to harm with kindness and turning enemies into friends. This is a clear example of the prohibition of violence and hatred in Islam.

In Islam, mercy, tolerance, and justice are the foundations of Islamic law. The Quran says “Let not the hatred of a people swerve you away from justice. Be just; that is nearest to righteousness” (Al-Ma’idah: 8). This means that hatred for a people should not lead one to be unjust, rather justice is closer to righteousness.

In Christianity, the Church always calls for peace and encourages dialogue and the spread of love and tolerance throughout the world. The Church also emphasizes the value of love and tolerance and denounces violence and hatred. The Bible emphasizes the need to love your neighbor and help them, as well as forgive and live in peace and understanding with others.

In the Gospels, Jesus has many sayings that call for the rejection of violence and hatred, the most beautiful and dear to my heart being “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

Similarly, Judaism calls for the rejection of violence and hatred, and urges individuals and communities to cooperate and spread peace in the world. The Torah calls for loving one’s neighbor as oneself, as it says “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18).

It is essential for all religions to emphasize the importance of mercy, tolerance, justice, and love for others. It is through these values that we can create a peaceful and harmonious world.

“I believe that all religions and religious movements call for the rejection of violence and hatred, and strive to promote the values of tolerance, love, and forgiveness, based on strong foundations. However, the reality among people is different, where aggression towards others prevails in an illogical manner, sometimes leading to the destruction of the other party and committing the worst types of crimes based on race or religion.

Nevertheless, some groups and individuals who use religion as a cover for their violent and extremist actions, promote inciting and hateful ideas towards others, leading to the escalation of sectarian tensions and social tensions.

For this reason, everyone (governments, institutions, and individuals) must bear their responsibilities in rejecting violence and hatred, combating extremism, and working together to promote a proper understanding of religion and global human values.”

Summary:

Rejecting violence and hatred is one of the most important goals that must be achieved in all fields and sectors and at all levels, whether in international law, international human rights law, or religions and religious movements. However, despite the wide-ranging efforts, incidents of violence, hatred, and racism persist and sometimes take on a protective character in some countries that claim to practice political democracy or have a democratic system.

To confront this, we must all work to achieve these goals by believing in the importance of peace and peaceful coexistence among people and rejecting violence and hatred in all fields and sectors. States must rely on international law as a means to reject violence and hatred and respect its rules and principles.

Violence and hatred are two major problems in the world and cause a lot of harm and destruction. Therefore, everyone must work to reject violence and hatred and work to build peaceful and fraternal communities.

These goals can be achieved through the integration of the principles of international law, international human rights law, and religions, and adopting peaceful principles and peaceful coexistence among people, unifying communities and achieving justice and cooperation between them. Therefore, people and communities must rely on international human rights law as a means to reject violence and hatred and achieve peace and cooperation.

States must seriously work to reject violence and hatred and achieve global peace and security. This requires cooperation and collective work between states, local communities, and international organizations. This global challenge is a shared responsibility that requires cooperation and collective work to achieve it.

I believe that addressing this issue and highlighting it in detail can help achieve stability and progress in societies around the world.

In conclusion, rejecting violence and hatred is one of the vital goals that must be achieved in all areas and fields, and achieving peace is a difficult task, but it is a necessary task.

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