KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 — A declaration on human rights adopted by the United Nations (UN) since 1948 is incompatible with Muslim-majority Malaysia as it allegedly legitimises unnatural lifestyles and beliefs, a coalition of Islamic groups argued today.
Registering its disapproval for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) taken up following World War II, the Allied Coordinating Committee of Islamic NGOs (ACCIN) said the articles contained in the treaty placed too much emphasis on “humanism” and individuality instead of traditional values such as belief in God and family.
ACCIN chairman Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman alleged that these encourage individuals with unnatural lifestyles, such as gays and lesbians as well as apostates to demand their rights and recognition.
“The UDHR might have some similarities with Islam’s understanding of human rights, but the problem lies when the UDHR is framed from a secular perspective.
“In principal we as Muslims cannot accept this, humanism places importance on the individual and pushes aside other commitments - to God, family,” he told reporters at a news conference here.
Continuing the criticism by local Muslim groups that led to the Home Ministry’s ban on the Coalition of Human Rights NGOs earlier this month, ACCIN described that rights advocacy as an attempt to force Western values onto Asian countries.
Zaik said this was apparent in the growing calls for sexuality rights and freedom of religion here, which he categorised as the gradual imposition of Western influence on Islamic practices in Malaysia.
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