Shirin Abou-Aqleh, Mandla Mandela Win 7th Islamic Human Rights Awards
She was killed while reporting Tel Aviv's atrocities against Palestinians. Her name echoed here in the 7th edition of Islamic Human Rights and Dignity Awards.
Shirin was awarded for her vital role in shining a light on the Palestinian cause in her on-the-scene reports from the occupied territories. The other winner of the Islamic Human Rights Award was Mandla Mandela, the grandson of former South African President, Nelson Mandela.
Mandla, who is now serving as a member of South Africa's National Assembly, won the award for his active role in opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Organized by the Iranian Judiciary’s Human Rights Committee, the event was held on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam.
In 1990, member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference assembled in Cairo and laid out a new human rights charter that sought to ensure man's freedom and right to dignity in accordance with Islamic laws.
Activists say the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights states that every human being, regardless of race and religion, has the right to a dignified life; something which they say the west has so far not lived up to.
Observers say the US, in particular, maintains a selective approach toward human rights, to an extent that it violates even its own principles of human rights. The imposition of sanctions as a punishing leverage is another example cited by participants here as a blatant violation of human rights by Washington.
The Islamic narrative of Human Rights is not meant to be a counterpoint to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but it seeks to safeguard the rights of Muslims against any misuse by countries such as the US, which looks at the issue as a tool for advancing its interests.
Source: Press TV
