Abdulrahman Abdul Aziz Al-Muhrij, who was participating in a four-day symposium organized by the Princess Al-Anood Philanthropic Foundation under the support of Prince Saud bin Fahd, said safeguarding the rights of people is one of the primary responsibilities of any government.

Al-Muhrij, who also advises people on personal issues, added that the state not only serves the interests of the people but also its own in terms of stability and proper functioning at grassroots and higher levels.

On the subject of women’s rights, Al-Muhrij said Islam encourages women to take part in running the affairs of society, adding that they were even entrusted with security affairs during the time of the caliphs.

Turning to other issues, Al-Muhrij said Islam prohibits the killing of innocent people through martyring. He cited a Qur’anic verse that states that whoever kills a soul but for murder or for spreading corruption it is as if he had killed all mankind.

The lecturer said various religions had sanctified the importance of preserving human rights long before they were codified into law by the British Parliament and subsequently by lawmakers in France.

He said the problem of nonimplementation of human rights had nothing to do with religion. The root cause of the problem was the followers of these religions who pursued their own agenda. There were also other vested interests with a political agenda. Together, they conspired to undermine human rights.

Al-Muhrij observed that human rights as stipulated in the Bible and Torah are the same as those in the Qur’an. Their main objective is to safeguard the interest of the people and enable them to live in peace and harmony. He said that the people’s knowledge of human rights was based on their actual experience.

Religious teachings derived from God who, as the Creator, knows which system works best in a given situation, he added.

Al-Muhrij enunciated the main principles of human rights in Islam: freedom of faith, freedom of opinion and freedom of humanity. He said man has the right to choose his own faith. “We don’t have to show hatred or disrespect in our dealings with followers of other faiths just because their perception and religious values are different from ours.”

Spelling out the basic principles of the human mission in Islam, Al-Muhrij said they include the right to worship God, proclaim the oneness of God and of humanity as well as recognizing no difference between races, since God bestowed honor on the sons of Adam and laid down the right to equality.

He said Islam never differentiates between man and woman in terms of their rights.

Youssef bin Othman Al-Huzaim, secretary-general of the foundation, acted as the moderator for the event. The highlights of the program included a series of lectures on cultural links between the Muslim world and Spain during the golden era of Islam. Other topics included human rights in Islam, scientific miracles in the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s teachings.

Princess Al-Anood Philanthropic Foundation, which belongs to eponymous wife of the late King Fahd, has worked to secure the release of 300 prisoners convicted of private rights offenses. Another 500 families of convicts have benefited financially from the foundation’s program designed for prisoners.