Mirza Yawar Baig – Interfaith meeting – Social Justice

AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the concept of social justice and how it is essential for everyone to have access to opportunities, resources, and privileges. They stress the importance of acknowledging the consequences of speaking out against injustice and the need for everyone to be aware of their own actions. The speaker also mentions Emily Collins' "stedling of hope" and encourages people to stand firm for justice.
AI: Summary ©
Thank you very much for inviting me to
speak today on the topic of social justice.
Social justice is the idea that everyone should
have equal access to opportunities, resources and privileges
in society.
This requires fairness and non-discrimination, equal access
to opportunity, respect for human rights which includes
the right to life, freedom from torture, freedom
of expression and the right to work and
education and equality in legal rights and access
to redressal where they are violated.
This must be available to every single person
irrespective of caste, creed, culture, race or gender
or any other division.
To live means to choose knowing full well
that the freedom to choose doesn't free us
from the consequences of the choice.
To choose the side we want to stand
on, the side we want to support and
uphold.
Understanding that there may be a price to
pay for speaking out against injustice but the
cost of silence is higher.
I recall the famous words of Pastor Martin
Naimola who said, first they came for the
socialists and I did not speak out because
I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and
I did not speak out because I was
not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews and I
did not speak out because I was not
a Jew.
Then they came for me and there was
no one left to speak for me.
Injustice to one is injustice to all.
That is Islam and that is why Islam
orders us to stand against injustice.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala ordered us to
stand against injustice no matter who commits it
and defend the victim of injustice no matter
who that might be.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commanded us and
he said, Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala said which means, O
believers, stand firm for justice as witnesses for
Allah.
Even if it is against yourselves, your parents
or close relatives, be they rich or poor,
Allah is best to ensure their interests.
So do not let your desires cause you
to deviate from justice.
If you distort your testimony or refuse to
give it, then know that Allah is certainly
all aware of what you do.
I quote also one of the greatest fighters
for justice who paid for it with his
life, Martin Luther King Jr. He said, There
comes a time when silence is betrayal.
Our lives begin to end the day we
become silent about things that matter.
In the end, we will remember not the
words of our enemies but the silence of
our friends.
He also said, cowardice asks the question, is
it safe?
Expediency asks the question, is it politic?
Vanity asks the question, is it popular?
But conscience asks the question, is it right?
And there comes a time when one must
take a position that is neither safe nor
politic nor popular, but one must take it
because it is right.
I say to you, O people of conscience
everywhere, the time has come to speak out
against all hatred.
Hatred is fire and the result is always
ash.
Speak out against all forms of racism and
extremism.
Speak out against Islamophobia, antisemitism, all forms of
racism, all forms of extremism.
Speak out against all ideologies which tell you
that land and power and oil and energy,
that anything is more valuable than human life.
Speak out against all ideologies that seek to
differentiate the value of human life based on
color and religion and race or nationality of
the human being.
I say to you that every human being
is exactly as valuable as every other human
being.
And anyone who seeks to devalue one human
being has devalued us all.
That injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.
That is what we must all pledge to
fight.
Because when we are called upon before the
one from whom nothing is hidden, we will
not be asked what happened, we will be
asked what did you do.
I want to conclude with Emily Dixon's lovely
poem called Hope.
She says, Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul.
And sings the tune without the words and
never stops at all.
I repeat, Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul.
And sings the tune without the words and
never stops at all.
Emily Dixon.
Thank you.