A CHAMPION OF HUMAN
RIGHTS
Man's "Never again" resolve, after witnessing
the unimagined horrors of the Jewish Holocaust during
World War II, remains frequently challenged and unfulfilled.
There have been some significant strides but we can
hardly declare the sacred promise made by man to safeguard
living beings from future such unconscionable experiences
as the Holocaust a reality yet. This week a great
champion for the cause of human rights in the twentieth
century, Simon Wiesenthal, passed away in Vienna.
His life and legacy give us pause to reflect and remember
his contribution to humanity, especially the Jewish
people.
Throughout history, there have been religious zealots
and ruthless despots who unleashed terror campaigns;
indiscriminate persecution; and forced calculated
ethnic and cultural purges. There also have been some
extraordinary voices of conscience, spiritual leaders,
and courageous souls, who by their tireless advocacy,
righteous struggle, and personal sacrifice and suffering,
raised human awareness of the fundamental rights and
dignity of all living beings. One of the great champions
and martyrs for this cause, the Ninth Sikh Guru, Teg
Bahadur, affirmed the sanctity and inalienable humanity
of precious freedoms by his supreme sacrifice in 1675
at Chandni Chowk, Delhi in defense of universal human
and sacred rights and inspired his followers to rise
in self-defense.
In recent decades, international and regional human
rights commissions, peace and justice organizations,
and world leaders, through and outside the United
Nations, have set down some defining markers and developed
hopeful guidelines towards the goal of assuring and
preserving basic rights of all citizens. Some illustrious
figures have challenged those in authority to respect,
strengthen, and enforce declarations on this critical
and universal human issue. They include: the Nazi
hunter and Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal; apostle
of non-violence Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.; Nobel Peace Laureate The Dalai Lama, Rev.
Desmond Tutu, Dr. Elie Wiesel (another Holocaust survivor),
President Nelson Mandela; and many others.
Yet since World War II, humanity has continued to
witness incidents of appalling transgressions, tragic
assaults and indignities, terrifying ethnic cleansing,
genocides and pogroms against ethnic and religious
communities, especially against minorities. Bosnia,
Cambodia, China, Croatia, India, Iraq, Rwanda, Soviet
Union, Sudan, and Yugoslavia come to mind where serious
violations have occurred. The continuing violations
around the world remind us about the forgotten lessons
of the Holocaust and other horrific events of the
past. Innocents, especially the elderly and young,
always pay the heaviest price in cultural conflicts,
religious wars, and hate-inspired ethnic purges. Re-emergence
of terrorism as a political and ideological weapon
is sending shivers across the entire human habitat.
The victims suffer unconscionable hardships and outrageous
intrusions into basic rights, dignity, and humanity
promised under international charters, revealing the
frightening face of unchecked and indiscriminate evil.
There are not enough courageous "soldiers"
like Simon Wiesenthal or Truth and Reconciliation
Commissions, Human Rights organizations, Amnesty Internationals,
and watchdog agencies to monitor daily violations.
Often there is lack of much-needed cooperation and
will or overriding political considerations to identify,
aggressively pursue and bring the guilty to justice.
The guilty roam free, while the world looks the other
way, often occupied or unaware of the tragedies that
happen outside their immediate circle of concerns
and safe citadels.
Yet, there is reason for optimism. Today, thanks
to information and internet technology, we instantly
learn about unfortunate happenings in the farthest
and remotest regions of the world. The passionate
activists and organizations with missions and mandates
to safeguard human rights and justice, mobilize media,
resources, and the global community to bring pressure
on governments and institutions to address serious
problems. We are beginning to recognize that in an
interdependent world the violations and threat to
life, liberty, and basic dignity of any one is an
assault against all and we need to stand in solidarity
against all forms of evil and outrage anywhere; unite
against terror-driven ideologies that threaten people,
cultural treasures; disturb tranquility of our civilization.
Our biggest challenge remains to educate the educators,
parents, children, civic and spiritual leaders, law-enforcement
officials, the media, and institutions created to
defend and protect people, especially endangered cultures
or vulnerable communities. We must prevent unfortunate
excursions into the sacred domain of each other's
humanity, dispel ignorance, intolerance, indifference,
and unfounded stereotyping that breed suspicion and
contempt; reform policies that are out of step with
transcending cultures, emerging new frontier of ideas
and ideals at our doorsteps. We have an opportunity
to shape a century of peaceful coexistence by strengthening
and discovering the unmistakable intertwined human
destiny through sharing of innovations, ideas, knowledge,
learning, and exchange.
This is not possible until we take appropriate steps
against bigotry, injustice, inequality, racial profiling,
and cycles of ethnic and cultural assaults against
fellow citizens. Our inaction and apologetic hand
wringing in the aftermath of tragic happenings can
only embolden those who indulge in hate, harassment,
and criminal conduct. Humanity's survival, peace,
and prosperity depend on our safeguarding civic and
cultural fabric, preventing future nightmares, cultural
mayhems, the exploding menace of terrorism, and punishing
those who engage in crimes against humanity. We must
honor the universal pledges and international agreements
on the fundamental rights of all beings in a serious
affirmation of the non-negotiable sanctity of the
promises enshrined in these documents.
Our biggest challenge remains to recognize all forms
of evil, conditions that feed menacing outrage, and
take timely preventive measures. Teaching tolerance,
dispelling mistrust; assuring justice, equality, moral
accountability; and rejecting hate and unprovoked
violence against another's faith, cultural identity,
or gender are important first steps.
Simon Wiesenthal and others have fought and sacrificed
much to remind us of our moral responsibility to bring
to justice those who terrorize and harm others out
of unconscionable malice. As a lasting tribute, we
must continue the noble legacy of Simon Wiesenthal
and others by making certain that humanity will never
again be blindsided by indifference toward other fellow
beings and we will always remember that, "Survival
is a privilege which entails obligation." The
journey of this righteous man ended in the ultimate
triumph of the human spirit. May his soul rest in
peace.
Kanwal Prakash "KP" Singh
Indianapolis, Indiana USA
www.KPSinghDesigns.com
