Islamic Instruments

on Human Rights
Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam
It is a declaration of the member states of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) first adopted in Cairo, Egypt, on 5 August 1990 &
revised in 2020.
It provides an overview on the Islamic perspective on human rights
considering Sharia.
 The CDHRI declares its purpose to be general guidance for Member
States of the OIC in the field of human rights.
This declaration is widely acknowledged as an Islamic response to the
UDHR. It guarantees some of the UDHR and serves as a living
document of human rights prescribed for OIC members to follow, but
restricts them explicitly to the limits set by the sharia.
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Article 1, The Declaration starts by saying "All human beings form one family
whose members are united by their subordination to Allah and descent from
Adam", and it forbids "discrimination on the basis of race, colour, language, belief,
sex, religion, political affiliation, social status or other considerations“. All human
beings are Allah's subjects and no one has superiority over another except on the
basis of piety and good deeds.
Article 2, It goes on to proclaim the sanctity of life, and declares the "preservation
of human life" to be "a duty prescribed by the Shariah“.
Article 3, The CDHRI also guarantees non-belligerents—such as old men, women
and children, the wounded and sick, and prisoners of war—the right to food,
shelter, and access to safety and medical treatment in times of war. It is
prohibited to mutilate or dismember dead bodies. It is required to exchange
prisoners of war. Furthermore, if family be separated in times of war, it is the
responsibility of the state to "arrange visits or reunions of families".
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Art 4 & 6,The CDHRI affords women "equal human dignity", "own
rights to enjoy", "duties to perform", "own civil entity", "financial
independence", and the "right to retain her name and lineage".
Art 5, Both men and women are given the "right to marriage"
regardless of their race, colour, or nationality.
Art 7 & 8, It said that parents to protect the child, both before and
after birth, while stressing that the husband is responsible for the
social and financial protection of his family.
Art 9, The State shall ensure the availability of ways and means to
acquire education.
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Article 10 of the Declaration states that Islam is the religion of unspoiled
nature. It is prohibited to exercise any form of compulsion on man or to
exploit his poverty or ignorance in order to convert him to another religion or
to atheism. But this effectively forbids conversion away from Islam.
Art 11 & 12, The Declaration also emphasizes the "full right to freedom and
self-determination", and its opposition to enslavement, oppression,
exploitation, and colonialism. Everyone shall have the freedom of movement
and right to seek asylum in another country.
Art 13 & 14, states that there will be right to work without any discrimination
between males and females - to fair wages for his/her work without delay, as
well as to the holidays allowances and promotions which he deserves.
The Declaration recognises the rights to property (art 15) and privacy for the
individuals. (Article 18)
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Art 20, The Declaration protects each individual from arbitrary arrest, torture,
maltreatment, or indignity. the CDHRI guarantees the presumption of
innocence. Furthermore, no individual is to be used for medical or scientific
experiments without his consent or at the risk of his health or of his life.
Art 19, The CDHRI declares the rule of law, establishing "equality and justice
for all", with the limitations provided under Islamic law.
Article 22 of the Declaration states that Everyone shall have the right to
express his opinion freely in such manner as would not be contrary to the
principles of the Shariah. Everyone shall have the right to advocate what is
right & wrong according to the norms of Shariah. It is explicit restriction on
the freedom to make any statement which might be considered blasphemous,
penalty for which might be death. There will be no racial discrimination.
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Art 23, The CDHRI also guarantees all individuals the "right to
participate, directly or indirectly in the administration of his country's
public affairs". It forbids any abuse of authority "subject to the Islamic
Shariah."
The CDHRI concludes in Articles 24 and 25 that all rights and
freedoms mentioned are subject to the Islamic sharia, which is the
declaration's sole source. The CDHRI declares true religion to be the
guarantee for enhancing such dignity along the path to human
integrity. The Islamic Shari'ah is the only source of reference for the
explanation or clarification of any of the articles of this Declaration.
Arab Charter on Human Rights, 1994
Preamble
 Arab nation's belief in human dignity since God honoured it by making the Arab
World the cradle of religions and the birthplace of civilizations which confirmed
its right to a life of dignity based on freedom, justice and peace.
brotherhood and equality among all human beings which were firmly
established by the Islamic Sharia.
The entire Arab World has always worked together to preserve its faith,
believing in its unity, struggling to protect its freedom, defending the right of
nations to self-determination and to safeguard their resources, believing in the
rule of law and that every individual's enjoyment of freedom, justice and equality
of opportunity is the yardstick by which the merits of any society are gauged.
Rejecting racism and zionism, which constitute a violation of human rights.
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Article 3
Article 2 No restriction or derogation
Article 1
No discrimination between from any human rights&
Self-determination, no freedoms existing in the state
men & women & no
Racisim, no Zionism party
distinction on any gound

Article 4
Article 6
Restriction in case of Article 5
no crime or
national security, right to life, liberty and
punishment except as
economy and public security of person
provided by law
order or emergency
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Article 8 Article 9
Article 7 equal before the law & right
No arbitrary arrest and
Presumption of innocence to get legal remedy
detention

Article 10
Article 11
Death Penalty
No death penalty for a
anyone sentenced to death shall have the right to seek
political offence
pardon or commutation of the sentence.

Article 12
The death penalty shall not be inflicted on a person under 18 years of age, on a pregnant
woman prior to her delivery or on a nursing mother within two years from the date on which
she gave birth.
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Article 13
No torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. No medical or scientific
experimentation shall be carried out on any person without his free consent.

Article 15 Article 16
Article 14 No one shall be tried
Prisoners will
No imprisonment for inability to pay debt be treated with twice for the same
humanity offence

Article 18 Article 19 Article 20

Article 23 Article 26
Article 21 Freedom of belief, thought
Right to Political Asylum
No citizen arbitrarily or and opinion
unlawfully prevented from Article 24
Article 27
leaving any Arab country Right to Nationality
Freedom of Religion
Article 22 Article 25
Article 28
No one shall be expelled Right to Property
from his country freedom of peaceful
assembly and association
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Article 29 Article 31
the right to Free choice of work is guaranteed and forced labour is
form trade prohibited
unions and the
right to strike
Article 32
Article 30
Right to enjoy equality of opportunity in regard to work, as
Right to work, well as a fair wage and equal remuneration for work of
adequate equal value.
standard of
living & social Article 33
security Right to access to public office
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Article 35
Article 36
Citizens have a right to
Article 34 live in an intellectual and right to participate in
cultural environment in cultural life & to develop
Right to education his artistic, intellectual and
which Arab nationalism is
a source of pride creative talents

Article 37
Article 38 & 39
Minorities shall not be
Right to family & young
deprived of their right to
people will get
enjoy their culture or to
opportunities of physical &
follow the teachings of
mental development
their religions