Human Rights & Social Justice (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

The need for human rights

• Human rights are basic freedoms and protections that all people are entitled to, simply because they are human beings

• These rights are meant to ensure that everyone is treated fairly, with dignity and respect, no matter their race, religion, gender, nationality, or any other status

• In 1948, the United Nations (UN) adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

  • The UDHR outlines a set of fundamental human rights that should be protected for all people

  • The declaration includes 30 articles that cover rights such as the right to life, liberty, education, and work

  • The UK signed this declaration, therefore these rights should always be protected in UK law

• The UDHR opens with a statement to say that the rights set out apply to all humans equally: 

Image: The articles in the UDHR

The responsibilities that come with human rights

• Having your human rights upheld comes with the accompanying responsibility of upholding and respecting the rights of others

• For example:

  • The right - Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion (Article 18) 

    • The responsibility: Everyone needs to respect all religious beliefs and treat all religions fairly

  • The right — Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression (Article 19)

    • The responsibility: Everyone has to ensure that what they express does not deliberately offend others or cause violence or hatred

• Some people’s human rights may be limited

  • For example, people serving prison sentences have lost their rights to liberty and freedom of movement

Religious attitudes to human rights

Christian attitudes to human rights

• Christians support human rights and would uphold all the human rights set out in the UDHR

• They believe that all humans are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and therefore should be treated with respect and fairness

• They believe that all people have dignity and worth and all are equal in the eyes of God, as Galatians says:

• Teachings such as ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ (Mark 12:31) and the Golden Rule ‘Treat others as you wish to be treated’ mean that every Christian has a duty to ensure that everyone is treated fairly

• The book of Proverbs lays out that Christians should stand up for other people’s rights

Muslim attitudes to human rights

• Muslims support human rights because the Qur’an teaches them to

• Some Islamic countries disagree with the UDHR because: 

  • they believe that Shari’ah law already protects enough human rights

  • some of the rights upheld in the UDHR do not comply with the teaching in the Qur’an 

• The Cairo Declaration on Human Rights (CDHR) was adopted by Islamic states to uphold human rights in line with the teachings of the Qur’an, Sunnah, and Islamic legal tradition

• Article 1 of the CDHR makes the idea of equality very clear

The need for social justice

• Social justice is the idea that everyone in society deserves to have the same human rights, equal treatment, and a fair share of community resources

• Social justice exists when:

  • human rights are upheld

  • wealth is distributed fairly

  • care is taken to protect and help the least advantaged and most vulnerable members of society

  • no one is exploited

  • injustice is challenged

• Examples of social injustice might include:

  • racial inequality

  • the rich having access to better resources than the poor, for example, healthcare or education

  • people living in poverty

  • religious persecution, for example, places of worship being attacked or vandalised

• Governments can work towards social justice by passing laws and providing support to programmes that aim to support social justice and reduce inequalities

Religious attitudes to social justice

Christian attitudes to social justice

• Christians support social justice

• There is an emphasis on the need for social justice throughout the Bible

  • The Bible describes God as a God of justice, saying ‘All his ways are just’ (Deuteronomy 32:4)

  • The prophet Amos taught about the need for justice

• Jesus taught that while the first commandment is to love God, the second is to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ (Mark 12:31) 

• Jesus told many stories emphasising the need to work for justice including:

  • the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46)

  • the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

• James wrote in a letter to the early Church

• Christians believe that any good they do in their lives will be rewarded by God in heaven, even if it goes unseen in this life

• Christians may apply situation ethics to cases of social injustice and do what they consider to be the most loving action in the situation, which would involve taking action to promote justice 

• Throughout Christian history, many campaigners and groups have worked for social justice

  • Examples of Christian social justice campaigners include

    • William Wilberforce, who campaigned for the end of slavery in the 19th century

    • Elizabeth Fry, who campaigned for prison reform

    • Lord Shaftesbury, who campaigned for better factory working conditions

  • Examples of groups include

    • Christian Aid, CAFOD and TEAR Fund who campaign for an end to world poverty

    • The Salvation Army which provides help and support, including food and shelter, to those who are disadvantaged or facing difficulties

    • Christian Muslim Forum which aims to create an honest and open relationship between Christians and Muslims and provide the opportunity for members of both faiths to work together to provide help for the common good

• There are also many community projects led by local churches to work for social justice within communities

Muslim attitudes to social justice

• Muslims see working for social justice as an important responsibility

• Allah is always watching and will judge their actions

• All humans are equal and created by Allah; therefore everyone must work together to ensure social justice for everyone

• The Qur’an teaches Muslims to work for social justice

• The Five Pillars of Islam contain obligations to social justice

  • The pillar of Zakah (almsgiving or charity) requires Muslims to donate money that can help the poor and those in need

  • The pillar of Sawm (fasting) calls on Muslims to fast and through this to empathise with the poor

• Shari’ah law promotes social justice

• Many social and community projects promoting social justice are run through local Muslim communities and mosques to help the Ummah

• Several Islamic charities work for social justice, such as

  • Islamic Relief which works to alleviate poverty across the world

  • Muslim Aid which works to provide emergency aid after a disaster

  • Muslim Hands which supports vulnerable and deprived people within the UK