Why Human Rights Responsibility, Not Communism, is the Answer to Islamic Supremacism

by Jeffrey Imm, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)
http://www.realcourage.org/2009/11/the-needs-of-the-one/

The name of our organization, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.), consciously reflects our mission - not only to defend our universal human rights of both equality and liberty - but also to be individually responsible for these human rights. Our mission asserts that one of the most essential parts of the individual human identity is our consistent and credible responsibility for such universal human rights. It is the need for individuals to reclaim this responsibility and to restore a culture where such human rights are a priority that is the highest goal of revitalizing outreach to our fellow human beings.

Furthermore, we view such human rights as inalienable rights. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "all human beings are born free," and their universal human rights are not limited to the "political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory." No nation, no political organization, and no ideology has the right to take such universal human rights away. They are inherent human rights. But for their preservation, they are also inherent individual responsibilities.

It is our support for such universal human rights and our belief that defending such rights are the responsibility of "every individual" that is the heart of our mission. The defense of human rights begins with each one of us as individuals. Our collective accomplishments will only matter as long as retain personal responsibility for equality and liberty. This means that we cannot expect "someone else" to solve the human rights problems of the world - whether it is a government, an international body, a culture, a religion, or an ideology - it is our job as individuals - we must be Responsible for Equality And Liberty.

Our support for individual human rights responsibility does not demand the ending of all state, charitable, or organizational support to the many who are in need. Without mercy and without dignity for our fellow human beings, any call for human rights would be insincere. Our love for our fellow human beings calls for us both to extend human mercy and defense of human rights. Suffering due to material hardships is just as real as suffering due to denial of equality and liberty.

Such individual responsibility also demands accountability for those ideologies that we identify with that defy such universal human rights.

Many falsely claim that they support human rights. In the past week, the Islamic supremacist Taliban have stated that they are defenders of "values of humanity," and the Islamic supremacist OIC nations are planning to meet in Egypt to praise their support of "children's rights," while in fact, both organizations defy such universal human rights for children and others. The Communist Chinese government has praised its support for "children's rights," even while it arrests those who would speak about the Communist authorities' practices of infanticide and forced abortion.

Accountability matters. Consistency matters. There is nothing "political" about seeking individual accountability on the ideologies that one holds - and how those ideologies do or do not support human rights. We hold people accountable for their racial supremacist views and for their views attacking religious freedom. So we must also call for individual accountability for those who would claim that they can support Communism and support universal human rights to challenge Islamic supremacism.

Some have told me that in some parts of the world, some ex-Muslims choose to identify with Communist organizations as a way to distance themselves from the theocratic trap of Islamic supremacism. We respectfully urge them to reconsider their choices in believing that the ideology of Communism is ever an answer to human rights.

Our true power as human beings begins with the power of ONE. Our true freedoms as human beings begins with power of human individuality. The belief that a paternalistic ideology that historically has proven in history that it seeks to crush human individuality, crush human freedom, and crush human liberty - is never the answer to a future where you and your children can be free.

Any "collective" or "caliphate," with seemingly Utopian objectives, can only be measured by its commitment to individual, universal human rights. History has shown both for Islamic supremacism and Communism how such individual human rights are readily discarded.

If we truly believe in universal human rights, sometimes the needs of the one outweigh the demands of the many.

If we truly believe in universal human rights, then we must oppose all dictatorships, including those who would call for a "dictatorship of the proletariat." The historical reality in Communist nations is that dictatorship by any name - results in simply another dictatorship.

I have been told that it is not productive to challenge those who promote Communism as an ideology, while they claim to be for universal human rights. I have been told by some that such Communist challenges to Islamic supremacism are not an unwillingness to criticize Communist China, but simply a focus on where these individuals seek to focus their energies. I have been told that such Communist ideological views are "political" issues and that we must rise above such "political issues" in supporting human rights.

In fact, we do support universal human rights above all political ideologies. But this does not abrogate the need to challenge individuals who claim to support universal human rights, when they promote anti-freedom ideologies.

The history of Communism on Earth is a grim and horrific story. The history of Communism on Earth has led to democides that far exceed Nazi Germany's genocide in the Holocaust. The history of Communism on Earth is so grim that in the United States there is a monument to the global "Victims of Communism." There is an online museum to such Communist atrocities, where individuals recount in a "victim's registry" their stories of those who have been killed and lives destroyed by Communism.

But the human rights threat of the ideology of Communism is more than a historical concern. It is a very real and mortal threat to the human rights of children, women, and men in the world today. While there are a reported 1.5 billion global adherents to Islam, there are 1.3 billion suffering under the oppression of the ideology of Communism in Communist China alone. There are over 1,000 Laogai concentration camps in Communist China holding 6.8 million human beings.

Laogai Forced Labor Camps

There are countless others imprisoned in Communist North Korean concentration camps. The millions that have been starved to death and murdered by Communist regimes in the past and continuing today are incalculable. Communist China, Communist North Korea, and Communist Vietnam are some of the top offenders in human trafficking in the world, including trafficking of children.

So while we appreciate those who would defy Islamic supremacism as an anti-freedom ideology, we also challenge them to be consistent in their support for universal human rights. It is not credible to claim that we are supporting universal human rights, while turning a blind eye to the historical and present day horrific abuses of human rights by Communist nations.

In challenging "One Law for All's" leader Maryam Namazie on her support for Communism (Ms. Namazie is a leader in the Communist Party of Iran), she replied: "I am a worker-communist - don't support the Chinese or any of the totalitarian governments that called themselves communist - but I campaign on matters that are close to my heart because of my experience and field of interest. Anyway not going to be responding on this anymore."

In fact, on those rare instances where Maryam Namazie has mentioned Communist China and Communist North Korea, it is to condemn them for being too "capitalist," and for failing to defy "state capitalism." Her support for universal human rights has not visibly shown her outreach to fellow "worker-communists" on the human rights atrocities and crimes against humanity by Communist nations. Outside of Islamic supremacism, Maryam Namazie views the other threat to humanity to be the United States, and views "worker-communism [as] against the two poles of international terrorism - the US state and political Islamic terrorism."

Maryam Namazie continues to position herself as a proponent of universal human rights for women and children in a rally in London today, challenging Sharia law, while defending Communism. We believe that two wrongs don't make a right, and that consistency and credibility are essential in promoting universal human rights.

Apparently her years of experience promoting communism are not sufficiently part of her "experience and field of interest" to address the Communist threat to human rights that oppresses a near equal number of human beings. Her support for children's rights are not sufficient for her to speak out speak out on the forced abortions in Communist China and the 400 million lives "prevented" by Communist authorities. Her support for women's rights are not sufficient to address the dehumanization of women, imprisonment in concentration camps of women, and publicly shooting of women by Communist authorities.

Wang Shouxin refuses to kneel down before being shot to death, but the soldiers force her by kicking her knee (Photo: LI ZHENSHENG)

In all of the protests and candlelight ceremonies remembering the victims of Communist Chinese and Communist North Korean authorities, I have yet to see a single "Worker-Communist" there to remember such victims of human rights atrocities and give evidence to how Communism as an ideology does not seek totalitarianism, does not seek a "dictatorship," and does not fundamentally deny universal human rights.

It is a message that Communist ideologues cannot honestly state.

The continuing global Communist democides of our fellow human beings are a testimony to Communism's rejection of our universal human rights.

Individual responsibility for human rights cannot be achieved by expecting our responsibilities to be assumed by Communist governments or other organizations. Such responsibilities are our choice, and our obligation.

As individuals, we must be Responsible for Equality And Liberty.