Islamic World varsities draw UN Chief’s attention to Bahrain crisis
The AhlulBayt International University of Tehran, on behalf of Presidents of Universities of the Islamic World, has written a strongly-worded letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his unexplained silence on the atrocities of the repressive Aal-e Khalifa minority regime against the citizens of Bahrain.
According to Pars Today, the letter, reminding the Chief of the World Body of his duties to ensure peace and security in member states, called upon him to take practical steps in making the Aal-e Khalifa regime guarantee the rights of Bahrain’s citizens, political activists, and religious scholars, including Ayatollah Shaikh Issa Qassem, whose nationality the regime has illegally revoked.
It also urged him, by referring to Articles 15 and 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to materialize the popular demand of the people for establishing of democracy in that Persian Gulf state through holding of a public referendum.
Following is the full text of the Letter:
In the name of God
H. E. Mr. Ban Ki Moon
Secretary General of the United Nations
Mr. Secretary General
As you know, Bahraini People fight peacefully to attain their own sovereignty for years and are expecting the organization linked to human Rights to help them. During these years, they have been permanently oppressed as they were and still are demanding to have access to their basic citizenship rights.
His excellency; as the UN has been mainly established to provide peace and security across the globe and according to the article 21 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which recognizes the people's will as basis and source of governing power, the demand of Bahrain citizens on having a democratically elected government in which the majority rules the country is a very elementary request. Why this primary demand for achieving the minimum social rights should face the government's atrocities including imprisonments, torture and assassination?
Mr. Secretary General; according to the UDHR's article 15, the behavior of the oligarchic regime toward his own people including destruction of hussainiyas and the mosques, preventing the Bahraini people who are mostly Muslims from establishing both Friday and congregational prayers, suspension of citizenship and deportation of Bahraini leaders particularly Sheikh Issa Qassim, is considered as a crime and the UN is responsible to condemn those acts which violate international laws.
His Excellency; you know well that the mentioned crimes don’t match with the essence of Human Rights as well as religious teachings and are condemned in Islam's eyes. In the Day of Ashura, Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, in the last moments of his luminous life, to the aggressors who wanted to attack the kids and women said: "If you neither believe in religion nor fear the hereafter, at least be free in this world". Therefore, those Bahrain rules who commit such crimes, contrary to what they pretend, are not Muslim and have nothing to do with religion of Islam which is the system of peace, love, and generosity.
Mr. Secretary General; the silence of world powers and the so-called defenders of Human Rights toward these anti-human crimes is not surprising as the authorities of Bahraini regime are acting under their support and they are allowed once the west's interests are achieved! But as the one who should unveil the criminals and has to intervene and to protest against the oppressors, your silence is significant and shocking. Remember that you're responsible for maintaining a peaceful and secure world and as the person in charge of performing the UDHR content, you're condemned in the presence of free consciences and human history.
His excellency; according to the religious teachings and the unchangeable divine traditions, whatever you, other international officials and those so-called defenders of human Rights accomplish your legal, human and moral duty or not, the oppressed nations particularly the Yemeni, Bahraini and Palestinian people will win as they have decided to be free and not to accept any type of injustice and they stand on this issue. But that is a historical privilege for you to be honored by supporting them; thus we undersigned, Presidents of Universities of Islamic world, ask your Excellency to carry out the following issues as soon as possible:
- Launching urgent measures in order to stop the actions which oppose the international standards and violate the UDHR's article 15 regarding the suspension of citizenship and deportation of Bahraini religious leaders and figures particularly his eminence Sheikh Issa Qassim.
- Providing necessary and ensuring arrangements to establish the democracy and to implement the UDHR's article 15 by making possible a referendum through which every single Bahraini citizen has one vote.
- Initiating emergency measures to stop the tyranny of Bahrain's oligarchic regime which threatens the security and freedom of people, and jails, tortures and assassinates them.
- The immediate release of political prisoners and investigation about Bahraini government's crimes in competent international courts.
Regards
Presidents of Universities of Islamic world
AS/MG
