Equal human dignity means equal human rights
All human beings are born with the same inherent dignity. Therefore they also have the same right to integrity, freedom and welfare, regardless of their religion, ethnicity or other status. This is the foundation of all human rights. Human rights as defined by the UN Universal Declaration in 1948 apply to all human beings in all countries, regardless of citizenship.
International law
Democratic systems do not always ensure the rights and inclusion of all inhabitants regardless of religious and ethnic affiliation, and sometimes majority rule may even pose a threat to them. This is the reason why international human rights treaties particularly underline the equal rights of “persons belonging to religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities”, such as in the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 27.
This recognition of the particular duty of states to ensure the rights of persons belonging to such numerical minorities is based upon the human rights they enjoy like all other human beings, including the right to citizenship.
“In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own language.” (UN International convention on civil and political rights (ICCPR), article 27)
Other human rights of special relevance are:
- The non-discrimination clause – the right not to be discriminated because of factors that are normally constitute of identity, like race, ethnicity, religion, sex/gender etc.
- Individual rights that all people should benefit from, including minorities, but sometimes can only be exercised meaningfully in a group with others, like freedom of religion or belief when practicing together with others
- Indigenous peoples’ rights
Who are “minorities”?
Not all persons in a minority situation want the term “minority” to be applied to them or to the religious or ethnic group(s) with which they are affiliated. Some perceive the term to assign a status of being less equal as citizens. This is why we choose to address these concerns mainly with the reference to inclusive citizenship and human rights.
However, when the term “minority” is used by scholars and civil society actors in this learning resource, it is used with reference to the international human rights framework, under which it is intended to ensure equal recognition of the basic rights of all individuals, including their rights to citizenship and non-discrimination.
Minority rights are human rights, says the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues
“Minority rights are human rights”
A contextual concept
The term “minority” is a contextual concept. Persons with a certain religious or ethnic identity may be in a numerical minority position in one country or region and in a majority in another. Indeed, in some countries the numerical minority is in a dominant political position. In most situations, however, being the numerical minority makes individuals more vulnerable to discrimination, exclusion and – in some countries and periods – to persecution based on their religious or ethnic identity or group affiliation. This is the reason why there is a special attention in international law on the human rights of persons in such situations.
Muslim, Christian and Yazidi youth gather in Lalesh as a part of inter-faith visits
Yazidis and Christians both have a long history in Iraq, and are both numeric minorities at the national or regional level, though they may be the majority in certain villages. The Kurds are a minority at the national level but the majority in the Kurdish region where the majority are Sunni Muslims while the Shia Arabs are the majority at the national level
Related resources
External resources
Here are a few selected recent reports and films addressing issues related to the Yazidi case. In the case and topic sections you will find links to other relevant external resources.
