I. INAUGURAL SESSION OF THE MEETING OF INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN ISLAM

a) SUMMARY OF THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE MEETING OF INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN ISLAM 15 May 2006, Monday, 9.00 AM-11.30 AM, Venue: Hilton Hotel ,

1. The Meeting of International Experts on Human Rights in Islam ("MIEHRI"), organized by the Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia in collaboration with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization and co-sponsored by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development of Malaysia, was officially opened by The Honourable Dato' Seri , Minister in the Prime Minister's Department of Malaysia.

2. The Opening Ceremony began with the recitation of the verses of the Holy Quran and Du'a. This was followed by the Welcome Speech delivered by The Honourable Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, the Attorney General of Malaysia. His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Wafik Zaher Kamil, the Secretary General of AALCO and His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Salleh S Alhudaithy, Deputy Minister of Justice, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia delivered their speeches and The Honourable Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department of Malaysia delivered the Opening Speech.

3. The Opening Ceremony ended after the multimedia presentation on MIEHRI, photography session and the press conference.

b) WELCOME SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE TAN SRI ABDUL GANI PATAIL, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MALAYSIA

The Honourable Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department of Malaysia; The Honourable Dato' Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development of Malaysia; His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Salleh S. Alhudaithy, Deputy Minister for Judicial Affairs, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Wafik Zaher Kamil, Secretary General of the Asian African Legal Consultative Organization, Your Excellencies Ministers of Justice, Attorneys General, distinguished experts, Representatives of AALCO Member States, Honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Assalamualaikum and a very good morning.

1. First and foremost, allow me to express my deepest appreciation to The Honourable Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, for gracing us with his presence and agreeing to officiate at the Opening Ceremony of the Meeting of International Experts on Human Rights in Islam. My deepest

1 gratitude also goes to The Honourable Dato' Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development of Malaysia, for agreeing to co-sponsor this Meeting as well as her generous support of the arrangements that have been made to ensure that this Meeting is a success.

2. My appreciation also goes to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their collaboration in this Meeting through the presence of His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Salleh S. Alhudaithy, the Deputy Minister for Judicial Affairs, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and four of their experts. Last but not least, I must express my satisfaction at the overwhelming response from the experts who have agreed to participate in this first meeting of its kind in the Asia-African region. For the record, my Chambers and I were extremely but pleasantly surprised to receive positive responses from 43 of the 67 experts who were invited based on the lists suggested by the AALCO, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as the Government of Malaysia. Malaysia is indeed honoured to host such eminent persons drawn from the highest levels of the judiciary, academia, the legal profession and other relevant disciplines.

3. Malaysia has strived to gather together a diverse group of experts to facilitate an in-depth discussion on the current issue of human rights in Islam. It is our hope that our effort will produce the concrete study on this subject as mandated by the 44th Session of AALCO through Res/44/S 16 of 1 July 2005. My officers and I are here to assist the experts in this endeavour. However very much depends on you, the experts, if this target will be achieved and whether this Meeting will identify and produce any practical recommendations and programme of action to further enhance international understanding and tolerance as well as mutual respect among all human beings, regardless of ethnic origin or religious affiliation.

4. My task as the Chairperson of the Meeting of International Experts on Human Rights in Islam (MIEHRI) has already been made easier through the presence of so many experts in the field of human rights and in Islam. As Chairperson of MIEHRI, I seek your further co-operation and assistance throughout the forthcoming plenary sessions and working groups to ensure that the proceedings run smoothly without impinging on the freedom of open discussion on the issues identified in the Meeting‘s agenda. However, time being a precious commodity during this five-day Meeting, I must also stress the need for all participants to focus their attention, comments and suggestions on the issues and not be distracted by political and personal agendas.

5. I must also strongly emphasize that this Meeting should not be used as a forum for lashing out at those we deem to be "against" those from the Muslim community. That is not why Malaysia undertook to host this event. This Meeting is not being held to score or make any points. We are gathered here solely for one and only purpose, to have a forum for open discourse on the problems and challenges of upholding the principles of human rights in Islam for all Muslim brethren - men, women and children.

6. For this purpose, I gravely urge the Plenary Chairpersons and Conveners to not only be fair facilitators but also to ensure that discussions remain focused on the issues at

2 hand. Without this strong admonition, I will have failed in my duties as Chairperson of MIERHI because inevitably this Meeting will fail to achieve the objectives set out by the AALCO.

7. The challenge facing the Islamic community in dealing with human rights in Islam must be met with educated and principled arguments built on the principles of Islamic law. This august gathering of experts is the perfect opportunity for us to do so, or at least make a start. Let us not waste this golden opportunity.

Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I wish you a successful Meeting.

Thank you. c) STATEMENT BY H.E. AMB. DR. WAFIK ZAHER KAMIL, SECRETARY GENERAL, ASIAN AFRICAN LEGAL CONSULTATIVE ORGANISATION

Hon‘ble Dato‘ Seri Mohammed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister‘s Department of Malaysia Hon‘ble Dato‘ Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Malaysia H.E. Dr. Abdullah Saleh S. Alhidaithy, Deputy Minister for Judicial Affairs, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Hon‘ble Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, Attorney General of Malaysia and Chairman, MIEHRI Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies, and Gentlemen

1. At the outset, I would like to welcome you all to this important —Meeting of International Experts on Human Rights in Islam“, on behalf of Asian African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) and on my own behalf. I am very much honored to have the opportunity to participate in this extremely important Meeting organized by the Government of Malaysia in collaboration with the AALCO and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and it would serve as another milestone in the history of the Organisation.

Excellencies, 2. I would like to seize this opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation to the Government of Malaysia and H.E.Hon.Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, the Attorney General of Malaysia for making these exceptional arrangements for an exceptional topic. I am confident that this five day Meeting would be an excellent opportunity for the Member States of AALCO, intellectuals and scholars to address various topics regarding Islamic law and to explore the human rights principles in Islam with a view to reflecting the shining image of Islam, in general and the issue of human rights in Islam, in particular. I wish that this Meeting would have focused and fruitful discussions on the topics selected for deliberations.

3. It may be recalled that the idea of dealing with the topic —Human Rights in Islam“

3 was taken up by AALCO at its 41st Session (Abuja, Nigeria, 2002) at the initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and was deliberated in the subsequent Sessions. In the Forty- Fourth Session of AALCO held in Nairobi, Kenya (2005), the Head of the Delegation of Malaysia, H.E.Hon.Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, Attorney General of Malaysia, proposed to convene an Expert Meeting comprising Member States of AALCO and a galaxy of scholars, experts and diplomats to achieve a concrete study in respect of the issue of human rights in Islam in its wider dimensions. This proposal was met by a unanimous approval. Therefore, the Malaysian Delegation expressed its preparedness to host the meeting of the experts in collaboration with the AALCO Secretariat and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the initiator of the subject matter. This Meeting is being convened pursuant to this decision.

Excellencies, 4. As we all see, the topics to be deliberated are covering an excellent and wide range of subjects tackling almost all angles of this topic, with the aim to reflect its manifold dimensions. Firstly, this topic attains significance in the present context, as it has been a historical fact that there have been systematic efforts from certain quarters to malign Islam and its teachings. In the present context of targeting a particular religious faith in the ongoing ”war against terrorism‘, it is high time to emphasize that Islam advocates peace and peaceful coexistence. No verse in the Holy Quran preaches mass destruction of any group of people, nor does it allow for violence as a form of expression, nor the blind killing of innocent civilians including women and children, nor considers as martyrs those who commit suicide by blasting themselves with the aim of killing others. Holy Quran lays down that "Whosoever kills a human being (without any reason like) man-slaughter, or corruption on earth, it is thought he had killed all mankind." We all know that in all its defensive wars during the early era of Islam led by the Prophet himself he fought against atheists who set up a strong opposition to the new monotheist religion only to defend Truth, Faith and Noble Principles revealed to the Prophet. There might be a certain section of the community who use religion to justify their unjust violence which goes against the basic tenets of Islam. However, tolerance, not compulsion, is the teaching of Islam. Defamation of a particular religion or belief would contribute further to the misinformation campaign and would certainly affect the peaceful co-existence of various religious and ethnic groups.

5. Secondly, There exist a misconception that it was the West which contributed much to the development of international law in general, and human rights law, in particular. To address this misconception, it would be appropriate to highlight some of the contributions of Islam in developing the law of nations, particularly in the field of human rights, law of war, law of international trade and law of treaties.

6. With regard to law of war, Islam strictly prohibits, among others, cruel way of killing, killing of non-combatants, killing of prisoners of war, mutilation of human beings as well as animals, unnecessary destruction of harvest and cutting of trees, adultery and fornication with captive women, killing of envoys, massacre in the defeated territory and the use of poisonous weapons. At the battle of Badr, the Prophet ordered, —Take heed of

4 the recommendation to treat the prisoners“. Prisoners must be fed in accordance with the Quranic injunctions and their dignity is to be respected.

7. With regard to law of treaties, Islam prescribes utmost good faith in the observance of a treaty, irrespective of formalities. Muslims were obliged to honor their treaties —to the end of their term“ and —not to break oaths after making them“. Pacta sunt servanda was the underlying principle. The Caliph Abu Bakr, in a proclamation to his soldiers, exhorted them as follows: ”Let there be no perfidy, no falsehood in your treaties with the enemy; be faithful in all things, proving yourselves upright and noble and maintaining your word and promises truly“.

8. Also, Islam has contributed immensely to the development of trade law and to the growth of fresh principles of commercial law against the background of fundamental principles of good faith, including international trading treaties between States and individuals and safe conduct of traders in foreign territory. Among other branches of international law to which Islam made contribution include, law of diplomatic protection, including safe conduct of envoys and foreigners; law of asylum and private international law. I would like to quote Judge Weeramantry, Former Judge and Vice President of the International Court of Justice at The Hague in this regard, —Article 38 (1) (b) of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, requires the ICJ to apply ”the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations‘. Having regard to the large number of Islamic nations now members of the United Nations, the international law of Islam is a body of knowledge which the world court cannot afford to ignore. Indeed it must necessarily make an impact upon the content of contemporary international law.“

9. Thirdly, Yet another significance of this Meeting stems from the position of many Asian, African and non-western countries that the Western countries are imposing the —Western interpretation“ of human rights on them. Among current international human rights interpretations, some of which are considered by Muslims as insensitive to Islamic religious and moral viewpoints and also disregarding the cultural specificities of various countries of the Asia and Africa. Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, a document issued by the Member States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and purporting to define Islamic teachings on human rights was an attempt to address this debate. Cairo Declaration while affirming that fundamental rights and universal freedoms in Islam are an integral part of the Islamic religion, reaffirms that —the civilizing and historical role of the Islamic Ummah which God made the best nation that has given mankind a universal and well-balanced civilization in which harmony is established between this life and the hereafter and knowledge is combined with faith; and the role that this Ummah should play to guide a humanity confused by competing trends and ideologies and to provide solutions to the chronic problems of this materialistic civilization“. This Meeting is an excellent opportunity to have an in-depth analysis on this ongoing debate.

10. Fourthly, A remarkable feature of Islam is that it is not only a religion, but also a moral code and a legal system. Exploring the human rights principles of Islam and analyzing them in the background of the current international world order is an important

5 commitment. Islam has guaranteed a series of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. To mention a few, right to life, right to freedom, right to equality and against non-discrimination, right to freedom from slavery and servitude, rights of orphans, prevention of corruption, freedom from poverty and indigence, freedom from oppression, duty to trade honestly and right to education. Also, human rights principles are embedded in the Islamic criminal justice system.

Excellencies, 11. Since the inclusion of Item —Human Rights in Islam“ in the agenda of AALCO, it has been deliberated in all the subsequent Annual Sessions. I would like to convey that in our Reports for the past Annual Sessions we have done extensive research to explore the human rights aspects in Islam from civil law and criminal law point of view. We would like to engage in more research and activities in future with the active cooperation and participation from the Member States.

Excellencies, 12. Islamic law from its inception was conceived as international in scope and was directed to all humanity. It is essentially a law of peace, built on human equality, religious tolerance and universal brotherhood.

13. To conclude, I would like to draw attention to the speech delivered by Prophet Muhammad during the Farewell Pilgrimage. Prophet Muhammad declared human rights when he said, —O mankind! Your Lord is one, and your father is one, you all belong to Adam and Adam was made of clay. The best of you in the sight of Allah is the one who is most righteous. There is no superiority for an Arab over a non Arab except for by righteousness.“ In his blessed speech, Prophet Muhammad, summarized the position of Islam towards human rights very clearly: People are equal in the shared value of humanity. They are like the teeth of a comb in terms of equality. There must be no preferences among people except for piety on the basis of their good deeds as well as what each of them accomplishes for his Lord, himself, his nation and the human society.

With this message I once again welcome all of you to this important meeting,

Thank you, Excellencies. d) SPEECH OF HIS EXCELLENCY THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA, CONVEYED ON HIS BEHALF BY: HONOURABLE AL SHAIKH DR. ABDULLAH SALEH AL HUDAITHI, UNDERSECRETARY OF THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE FOR JUDICIAL AFFAIRS

In the Name of Allah the Most Merciful the Most Gracious Praise be to Allah, and Prayer and Peace be upon the most honourable Prophet, our Prophet Mohammad and all his companions. The Honourable Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Ministers Department of Malaysia;

6 The Honourable Dato' Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jam, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development of Malaysia; His Excellency the Attorney General of the Government of Malaysia Mr. Abdul Ghani Patail; His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Wafik Zaher Kamil, Secretary General of the Asian African Legal Consultative Organization; His Excellencies, heads of delegates and members of delegates, Honourable attendants

1. I convey upon you the Islamic greeting: Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

2. I greet you and transmit the greetings of His Excellency the Minister of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Shaikh who was very keen to attend this forum and meet you, but his tight schedule does not allow him to be present.

3. On behalf of His Excellency and on behalf of the delegates of the Kingdom of the Saudi Arabia participating in this forum, l am grateful to convey my thanks and appreciation to the Government of Malaysia to organize this forum and to call upon it as an implementation of the Resolution issued by the Legal Consultative Organization of Asian and African countries (AALCO) in its Forty-Fourth Session which was held in Nairobi last year. Malaysia had proposed to the Secretary of the Organization to organize this forum due to the importance of this issue and supporting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's suggestion which proposed to include this issue to be a permanent item in the Organization's agenda.

4. The reason to raise this suggestion is that the issue of Human Rights in Islam needs to be discussed and clarified particularly the justifications to others who do not deal neutrally and objectively with those rights. Therefore, the Kingdom of the Saudi Arabia sees the needs of displaying this issue to be researched by experts and academicians specialized in legal and social studies so that the bright view of Islam shines to the world for its care of human rights.

His Excellencies, 5. We all know that human rights in Islam are not problems to Muslims, they are part of their religion, they are not gift from the ruler or from legal authority, and they are not a charter or an international act issued from an international organization or a regional or local authority, but they are part of the religion and the ideology which does not allow omission, copy or delay.

6. The problem is lack of understanding from theoreticians in human rights who are ignorant with this fact. Fundamentals and principles which are being acceptable and approved by nations vary among the people of the North, the South, the East and the West. Each one is pleased with what he has based upon an inherited custom or an original tradition. The issue is different with regard to Muslims. The person is honoured,

7 respected and care of, his rights with the life of other people is considered a model which brings humans to the grade of honour and care by Allah. Allah Subhanahu wa taala says in the Holy Qur'an: (We Honoured the offsprings of Adam and bring them in land and sea and We provide them sustenance of the goods and We honoured them higher than other creations)

Their Excellencies, 7. Topics of the research in this forum and issues to be discussed are carefully being chosen. They cover and fulfill the desire of those who seek to reach and to know the truth. Prominent scientific and specialized qualifications have been invited. And I am confident that those experts will come out with constructive view and recommendations.

8. I conclude my speech with more thanks and appreciation to the Government of Malaysia, and to His Excellency the Attorney General and his colleagues for the better arrangements and preparations to organize this forum in Malaysia, the land of activism, lively, tolerance and beauty.

Wassalamu Alaikum wa rahmatu Allahi wa Barakatuhu

e) OPENING SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE HONOURABLE DATO' SERI MOHAMED NAZRI ABDUL AZIZ, MINISTER IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT

The Honourable Dato' Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development of Malaysia; His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Salleh S. Alhidaithy, Deputy Minister for Judicial Affairs, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Wafik Zaher Kamil, Secretary General of the Asian African Legal Consultative Organization; The Honourable Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, Attorney General of Malaysia Your Excellencies Ministers of Justice, Attorneys General, Distinguished experts, representatives of AALCO Member States, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen;

Assalamualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu and good morning,

1. On behalf of the Government and People of Malaysia, may I extend a very warm welcome to all of you to Kuala Lumpur for this Meeting of International Experts on Human Rights in Islam (MIEHRI).

2. It is indeed a great honour for Malaysia to host this important meeting. At the 44th Session of Asian African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) in Nairobi, Kenya; Malaysia had proposed that an inter-governmental expert group be established in order to deliberate in depth the discussion on Human Rights in Islam. We value the trust rendered by the AALCO for Malaysia to host this important meeting. Malaysia realizes that this meeting will be a catalyst for further discussions on the agenda item on Human Rights in Islam in the Annual Meeting of AALCO.

8

3. As the host, Malaysia is pleased with the positive response and participation of the experts and representatives among the AALCO Member States and other participants. This clearly demonstrates the passionate interest of the international community in understanding Islam especially after the tragic event of 9/11.

4. I take this opportunity to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for their support and cooperation to make this meeting a reality. We recognize that the discussion on Human Rights in Islam in AALCO was initiated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 5. The concept of human rights has long been debated. It began when a number of nations such as England and France faced major political upheavals when the citizenry rose against the authority of monarchs, demanding the instatement of civil and political rights. In England, for example, King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta when he violated a number of laws and customs practiced at that time. The Magna Carta can be considered as an early milestone in the history of modern human rights as it outlined a number of human rights principles such as the freedom from government interference and excessive taxation, as well as the right to own and inherit property.

6. A similar scenario can be observed in France and America in the 18th century when two great revolutions fuelled the inception of the human rights movement. The people of France did the unthinkable when they deposed the monarchy, giving birth to the monumental 'Declaration of the Rights of Man' and 'the Bill of Rights' in America. This is rooted from the philosophical learnings of Europe at the period, which placed emphasis on the 'natural rights of man' as the birthright of every human being, and not springing from belonging to a particular nationality or religion.

7. In the modern world, it would not be far fetched for me to say that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 (UDHR) was an important document in outlining the minimum standards of human rights which was universally accepted at the United Nations. The UDHR came about at a juncture when the world has just experienced a traumatic loss of human lives caused by the Second World War and the holocaust. Eleanor Roosevelt managed to convince a large number of the 58 nations that convened at the General Assembly to vote in favour of the UDHR, a document which sets, "a common standard of achievement of all peoples and all nations"'. Today, the UDHR can be considered an important founding document in detailing the principles of human rights.

8. The human rights movement has grown tremendously since then. The spread of human rights movement today extends even to Islamic nations. Recently the reaction of the Muslim world towards the publication of caricatures defaming the prophet, and the subsequent defence of the right to publish the caricatures brought about a serious debate about the compatibility of UDHR and Islamic law. The confusion may have its roots, among others, in the principles and norms enumerated in the UDHR which are unable to resolve issues concerning faith and religion, so say some opinion. The truth or otherwise

9 of such conviction to my mind should be discussed by the experts at this meeting.

9. The awareness and championing of human rights is actively pursued in the developed nations, where the citizenry takes an active interest in these matters. Of course, religion cannot be taken out of the human rights equation. Islam as a religion which commands one of the largest numbers of adherents worldwide also faces the challenge of determining the relationship between the faith and human rights developed through the western philosophy.

10. Today, the discussion about human rights not only revolves around civil and political rights, as well as economic and political rights, but embraces what is popularly known as the third generation of human rights. The right to development is said to be one such third generation rights. All these would require recourse to ijtihad or exertion of the mind to determine the Islamic stance towards these developments. The Muslims must remain constantly engaged in all these discussions. That is why I found this meeting to be very timely and appropriate.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 11. Islam has, since 14 centuries ago, delivered the concept of human rights to mankind that serves both the physical aspects of the human body and soul. A concept of human rights that deal solely with the physical human needs will not be complete and satisfactory. Neither would the conception that embodies the spiritual needs alone be sufficient. It is the recognition of man's dual nature and hence his dual needs that is most pertinent and significant for the holistic and complete conception of human rights.

12. The comprehensiveness of philosophy of human rights in Islam governs not only the belief system, but also the social, political, economic and cultural spheres. It influences both the spiritual and material aspects of human life since there is no dichotomy between what is religious and what is not.

13. The concept of human rights in Islam emanates from its own creed, its own world view, which is founded on the principles of Tawhid or unity of God the Almighty, Khilafah or vicegerency of the humankind and al- 'adl or justice. Consequently, human rights in Islam embody his entire needs as an individual as well as a member of a society or more generally of the human race. The complete guarantee of all his needs become essential for the performance of his duty as the trustee or vicegerent of God on this blessed earth.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 14. Malaysia is committed towards ensuring compliance with accepted human rights standards. As a member of the United Nations, Malaysia refers, among others to the UDHR as a guide to the minimal standards in promoting human rights in this country. This is proven when Malaysia is already signatory to a number of important human rights instruments, including the Convention of Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Although Malaysia became party to those treaties with some reservations and declarations, we would

10 continue to review such reservations with a view of lifting them. This would be done progressively and taking into consideration the constitutional provisions and national interest.

15. In order to promote and protect human rights in Malaysia, the Government established an independent Commission on Human Rights in 1999. The functions of the Commission are amongst others, to promote awareness of and provide education in relation to human rights, advise and assist the government in formulating legislation and administrative directives and procedures and recommended measures to be taken and the list goes on.

16. The Media, both print and electronic, in the official and vernacular languages contribute to making the public aware of their rights under the law and of international instruments pertaining to their rights. Efforts to uphold human rights in Malaysia are further intensified by the establishment of the Ministry of Women and Family Development to promote awareness on women‘s issues.

17. At another front, Malaysia support the effort of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) towards creating universally accepted human rights standard such as the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights. Malaysia realizes certain quarters are of the view that the efforts by OIC may affect consensus of the international community at the United Nations on the issue of human rights. But Malaysia is of the view that such efforts complements existing mechanisms.

18. With this meeting, it is our hope that the issues I mentioned can be discussed intellectually on a non-political platform which I believe would enable us to reach a working consensus on the above matter. We sincerely hope that the resolutions reached at this meeting, will help guide the international community such as the OIC in framing the Islamic Covenant on Racial Discrimination where Malaysia is an active participant.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 19. I pose a challenge to the experts and participants present at this meeting to deliberate constructively on the issue whether Islamic law which provides for its own set of individual rights is actually in conflict with the human rights recognized by the international community and the importance of modern interpretation of the Islamic law in such a way that supports a regime of individual human rights that is entirely new and novel in Islamic history.

20. The experts may also want to, deliberate on certain issues laid down by the Human Rights Committee such as the interpretation of 'sex' in the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to include not just gender but sexual preferences.

21. I perceive that the question of human rights in the global order has never been more pressing or contentious than today. Debates over what should constitute the principles and practices of human rights, and the balance between rights and

11 responsibilities, are major areas of serious discourse between scholars, politicians, policymakers and representatives of civil society. These issues are not settled but neither should they be beyond resolution with the appropriate insight and political commitment.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 22. I am indeed proud and honoured that we have managed to gather a large' number of distinguished human rights experts and participants. For our session, we ask Allah to guide us so that we will be able to reach a positive and united resolution in matters related to human rights. If we share a common view, we will be able to present a united front and put forth the right perspective where human rights are concerned.

23. It is my hope that this meeting will reach its objective and hopefully the resolutions reached in this meeting will be a guide for all of us in the years to come Insyallah. With that, in the name of Allah, Most Compassionate and Most Merciful I declare the, Meeting of International Experts on Human Rights in Islam officially opened.

Thank you

12