Human Rights or Human Wrongs?
Perhaps you have also seen the 2012 comedy movie The Dictator by Sacha Baron Cohen.
Baron Cohen, an actor, writer, and producer, plays the role of Admiral General Aladeen, the dictator of the fictional country of the Republic of Wadiya. The film, which belongs to the dark comedy genre, partially addresses issues of “human rights” and tells the story of a peculiar leader of this imaginary country pursuing sinister international objectives.
You know, making a comedy film about human rights issues is no easy task. Do you know why? Because, although we are all equal, some are more equal than others. Or perhaps it’s because human rights, with all their appeal, often seem less about “human rights” and more about “human wrongs” when they reach certain regions. Don’t believe me?
You must have seen the viral image circulating online — the one where a group of Europeans gathers by the sea to save a dolphin that mistakenly washed ashore, returning it to its natural habitat. It’s the same image often juxtaposed with the photo of the drowned Syrian refugee child.
It wasn’t that long ago — 2015, to be exact — when the images of this Syrian child were widely shared on Twitter and other social media platforms. The child, dressed in a red shirt with tiny legs, lay on the shore as the waves gently touched him. That year, Turkey’s coast guard and media announced: “At least 12 Syrian migrants heading to Greece drowned when their boats sank in Turkish waters.”
Surely, his parents, like all parents, had colorful dreams for him and wanted the night sky filled with stars for their child. That image, along with others being broadcast from various parts of the region these days, starkly highlights the gap between the rhetoric and reality of the blue-eyed defenders of human rights.
In the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there are many compelling principles, such as:
“Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and personal security.” (Article 3)
“No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.” (Article 4)
“No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.” (Article 5)
“Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.” (Article 6)
These and many other inspiring words can be found in the declaration. But how many of these articles have been implemented in the Middle East? Is there even a will to realize them in this region — a region that holds 70% of the world’s fossil fuel resources? Have you ever wondered why human rights seem to fade so much when they reach certain regions, such as the Middle East?
