Human rights: prejudice, discrimination and equality

Theme F1 covers religious and non-religious views on human rights, prejudice, discrimination, racial harmony, religious freedom and social justice.

Human rights — foundations

Human rights are rights held by all human beings simply by virtue of being human — they are universal, inalienable and indivisible.

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948) — adopted by the UN after WWII, in response to the Holocaust. Article 1: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." Article 18: right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
• Religious foundations:
  • Imago Dei (Christianity) — humans are made in God's image, giving every person inherent dignity and rights.
  • Khalifah/stewardship (Islam) — all humans are Allah's vicegerents, with equal dignity before God: "O humanity, indeed We created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous" (Qur'an 49:13).
  • Humanism — human dignity is grounded in reason, consciousness and the capacity for flourishing — no divine justification needed.

Prejudice and discrimination

• Prejudice — a pre-formed, usually negative, judgment about a person based on group membership (race, religion, gender, sexuality, disability etc.).
• Discrimination — acting on prejudice; treating someone less favourably because of who they are.
• Protected characteristics (UK Equality Act 2010): age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/belief, sex, sexual orientation.

Positive discrimination (affirmative action) — giving preferential treatment to disadvantaged groups. Controversial: some see it as a remedy for historical injustice; others see it as a new form of inequality.

Racial prejudice and harmony

Racism is prejudice or discrimination based on race or ethnicity.

• Christian response:
  • All humans are imago Dei — racism violates human dignity.
  • Galatians 3:28 — "There is neither Jew nor Gentile… for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
  • Archbishop Desmond Tutu: "My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together." Led anti-apartheid movement from a Christian foundation.
  • Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream" speech (1963); Letter from Birmingham Jail — applied Christian ethics of love and justice against racism.
  • The Churches Together in Britain and Ireland has issued statements on racial justice.
• Islamic response:
  • The Prophet Muhammad's Farewell Sermon (632 CE): "There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an Arab; neither is the white superior over the black, nor is the black superior over the white — except by piety and good action."
  • Islamic racial equality is a founding principle: the first muezzin was Bilal, a formerly enslaved Black man from Ethiopia.

Freedom of religion

Religious freedom is the right to hold, practice, change, or have no religion.

• UDHR Article 18: everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
• Christianity: the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) — "Go and make disciples" — encourages mission, but modern mainstream Christianity distinguishes mission (sharing beliefs) from coercion.
• Islam: Qur'an 2:256 — "There is no compulsion in religion." Islam forbids forced conversion. However, some Muslim-majority states restrict religious freedom (apostasy laws, restrictions on non-Muslim worship).
• Humanism: Religious freedom is a fundamental right. The state must be neutral on religion — secularism (not atheism) is the appropriate public framework.

Social justice

Social justice is fairness in how benefits and burdens are distributed in society.

• Catholic Social Teaching: The option for the poor — God has a special concern for the vulnerable (Amos 5:24 — "Let justice roll down like a river"). Pope Francis' Laudato Si' links environmental and social justice.
• Islam: Zakat (obligatory almsgiving) is one of the Five Pillars — 2.5% of savings given annually to the poor. Sadaqah (voluntary charity) also encouraged. Islamic microfinance avoids riba (interest) which exploits the poor.
• Humanism: A just society minimises unnecessary suffering and gives every person equal opportunities. John Rawls (A Theory of Justice, 1971) — a secular basis for social justice: design society as if you did not know your position in it.

Examiner tips

• Distinguish prejudice (attitude) from discrimination (action).
• Name the UDHR (1948) and the UK Equality Act (2010).
• For racial equality: cite Desmond Tutu, MLK, and Muhammad's Farewell Sermon.
• For 12-mark questions: contrast religious and secular foundations for human rights; or contrast religious freedom with state security.