FC College talk: ‘We must learn from historic charters on religious freedom’
Lord Bishop of Rochestor charts out history of religious freedom.
LAHORE:
Historic charters were, and are, the most important basis of religious freedom, which we must learn from and follow, Bishop Dr Michael Nazir Ali said on Wednesday.
Ali, lately the Lord Bishop of Rochester in the United Kingdom, was delivering a lecture at Forman Christian College on the topic of “Religion and Freedom in the East and the West.”
Bishop Michael Nazir Ali charted the history of religion freedom; from Persian King Cyrus’s Cylinder in the 6th century BC to the Roman Emperor Constantine’s Edict of Milan in 313AD and the Accord of Medina by the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in the 7th century AD.
Bishop Michael Nazir Ali linked the debate on religious freedom to the development of the concept of ‘inalienable rights.’
He said this concept stemmed from the idea of the inherent dignity of human beings, which Abrahamic faiths believe have been formed in the image of God.
He said that freedom of conscience and consent are integral parts of the argument. “Therefore, Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrines freedom of conscience, religion and belief, is the basis of any framework for the protection of human rights,” he said.
Bishop Michael Nazir Ali said the threats to religious freedom included narrow interpretations of religion.
He said that whenever someone said to him that they were forming an Islamic country, he would ask them “Will it be an Islamic State based on the Constitution of Medina by the Prophet (pbuh)?”
“The rise of illiberal liberalism was another grave threat to religious freedom,” he said, referring to Western countries.
“A reasonable accommodation of religious beliefs and a re-articulation of freedom of conscience are needed in the West, or a new kind of totalitarianism will emerge,” Bishop Michael Nazir Ali concluded.
Bishop Dr Michael Nazir Ali was introduced by Forman Christian College Rector Dr James A Tebbe, who’s PhD thesis Dr Ali had examined.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2012.
Historic charters were, and are, the most important basis of religious freedom, which we must learn from and follow, Bishop Dr Michael Nazir Ali said on Wednesday.
Ali, lately the Lord Bishop of Rochester in the United Kingdom, was delivering a lecture at Forman Christian College on the topic of “Religion and Freedom in the East and the West.”
Bishop Michael Nazir Ali charted the history of religion freedom; from Persian King Cyrus’s Cylinder in the 6th century BC to the Roman Emperor Constantine’s Edict of Milan in 313AD and the Accord of Medina by the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in the 7th century AD.
Bishop Michael Nazir Ali linked the debate on religious freedom to the development of the concept of ‘inalienable rights.’
He said this concept stemmed from the idea of the inherent dignity of human beings, which Abrahamic faiths believe have been formed in the image of God.
He said that freedom of conscience and consent are integral parts of the argument. “Therefore, Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrines freedom of conscience, religion and belief, is the basis of any framework for the protection of human rights,” he said.
Bishop Michael Nazir Ali said the threats to religious freedom included narrow interpretations of religion.
He said that whenever someone said to him that they were forming an Islamic country, he would ask them “Will it be an Islamic State based on the Constitution of Medina by the Prophet (pbuh)?”
“The rise of illiberal liberalism was another grave threat to religious freedom,” he said, referring to Western countries.
“A reasonable accommodation of religious beliefs and a re-articulation of freedom of conscience are needed in the West, or a new kind of totalitarianism will emerge,” Bishop Michael Nazir Ali concluded.
Bishop Dr Michael Nazir Ali was introduced by Forman Christian College Rector Dr James A Tebbe, who’s PhD thesis Dr Ali had examined.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2012.