By Robert Kesten
Over 1 billion people around the world, on all continents and throughout all social strata of any given society will join in the Ramadan holiday. It is a time when people contemplate the world and themselves in it, it is a time of both discipline and celebration and is a reminder of how equal in life we all are.
With the Arab Spring having passed into Arab Summer, new constitutions being drafted, ideas and visions of the future being debated and wars continuing throughout the region, the Arab Summer could indeed meld into the first international Human Rights Ramadan, instilling in this arduous evolutionary process the values and concepts found in Islam and enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Muslims, since 2011, accused of breeding terrorism, can take the global lead in establishing a world based on a foundation of Human Rights, envelope this framework in their respective constitutions and encourage the rest of the world to follow.
Over the next month, from Tahrir Square to every square in the Islamic world the message of Human Rights could be spread, could be incorporated in daily life, in political and social values and integrated into the hearts and minds of citizens around the world.
If the Arab Spring is going to have life and purpose, then the value and equality of each and every individual, women, men, youth and children, must be recognized and respected. To make this the universal message during Ramadan lets the world know where the Arab Spring is going.
Throughout history the MENA region has surprised the world, it is my hope that it will continue to do so, and that from this August forward, Ramadan will be associated with the global movement for Human Rights integration into our everyday lives.
Robert Kesten
Executive Director
PDHRE: People’s Movement for Human Rights Learning www.pdhre.org
