General
As per the New Encyclopedia Britannica, the term Racialism or Racism is an idea or a thinking which explain a causal link between “inherited physical traits of personality, intellect or culture and combined with it, the notion that some races are inherently superior to others”1. White, Black and Asian are considered to be the three key racial groups among the human beings. Since inter breeding is possible between them, therefore, these are not distinct like other biological species.
Apart from the biological foundations, different races have different histories and cultural patterns and human beings can be differentiated basing on their traits and body structures. Even then, there are many theorists who do not concede to the racial groupings. With a range of divergent thoughts the racialism therefore is said to be as one of the most “misunderstood, misused and a highly dangerous”2 concept in the modern history of mankind. The term generally denotes bigotry, oppression, prejudice or discrimination based on race, caste or creed.
The logicians at the global level term racism and racialism to be an instrument of discrimination as well as a tool of exploitation. The connections of racism can be traced back to the primordial world. Indeed in the history of mankind the gradual rise in power led to the formation of empire building which in turn, for the quest of more power made conquests and subjugated the locals, being alien for them. Subsequently they made the racialism a tool for the perpetuation of their power. The menace of racism is still in existence with changeable forms and being practiced clandestinely as it has travelled a journey equivalent to the history of mankind3.
Racism therefore may be accredited to a belief that a particular race, community or a group is superior to others on the basis of genetics, social or moral traits or because of other biological characteristics4. The notion has its historical connection. In its narrower scope, racism may be defined as the hatred of one person or a race against other(s), based on factors like skin, colour, custom, language, family background, etc. In the history of mankind a number of wars and conflicts had been caused by racial differences. Majority of historians, intellectuals and analysts view that the most civilized, democratic and enlighten west is the father of racial discrimination in the world and has promoted this concept through colonialism or imperialism.
Being the empire building epoch, the 19th and 20th centuries are considered to be the peak periods of racial discrimination. Three years after the establishment of UNO, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by UN General Assembly in December 1948, which irrespective of the racial basis, was considered to be the guarantor of human safety and security. But its practical implementation has always been in limbo ever since its adaptation.
Since there was no end to racism, therefore, as late as in 1978, the first ever World Conference against Racism (WCAR) was organized at Geneva, Switzerland. It was followed by three more conferences, the last being in April 2009. Unfortunately in the peak era of human civilization, neither the racist pest is coming to an end nor have the major powers shown their resilience in doing away with it. The inhuman coercion is therefore sucking the human blood to the level of half-dead situation.
The paper therefore encompasses analyses of the salient of racism in its chronological setting with a view to evaluate its impacts on human beings of various racial backgrounds, the belated endeavours of damage control through conferences and declarations, their implementation stratagem and the myopic response from the international community, especially the major powers and lastly recommending a possible way-out.
Beginning of the Racial Intransigence
While reviewing history, it is discovered that Racism is as old as recorded history of human beings5. However, Thomas Gossett, the famous US academician and author of “Race: the History of an Idea in America” considered that the origin of racism is 5000 years old6, whereas others like Ivan Hannaford claim its origin from 18th and 19th centuries subsequent to the French and US revolutions7.
Joseph-Arthur Comte de Gobineau has written volumes of books on racism in the 19th century. While corresponding to the ancient Aryan culture, Indo-European and Indo-Iranian culture, Gobineau said that white race is superior to others. He was an advocate of the fact that race created culture and races are natural barriers between various human beings. And once there is a mixing of various races, the natural barrier is broken which leads to the state of anarchy the way it prevailed in Central Asia, Middle East or Sub-continent.
The formal use of the word “Racism” as per the Oxford English Dictionary is known to be made in Germany in 1933 in a book entitled, “Racism” written by Mangus Hirschfeld that was afterward translated into English language. Later the US fascist author Lawrence Dennis frequently made a mention of racism in his book, “The Coming American Fascism”8 published in 1936.
The worst example of racism was the enslavement of Africans and trade of slaves by the West in the New World where African blacks were considered less human than European whites. This practice continued for centuries. However with the exploration of Africa in 15th and 16th centuries by Dutch and Portuguese9, the process of slavery enhanced to a greater extent. In the subsequent years, African statehood was shattered and its wealth was plundered by intruders ultimately forcing them to act as slaves in various European countries through slave trade and considered them as a ‘species of savages’10.
Women folk have been the worst sufferers of racism and ethnic based violence. During the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945, Korean women were used as “comfort women”11 for the Japanese soldiers in the forward battle locations. Through an ordinance the Koreans were even forced to change their names as per the Japanese names. During the Balkans conflict, a colossal number of women folk of Bosnia and Kosovo were put across the incidents of rape on racial basis. So was the case in some of the conflict prone African countries like Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, etc.
In India, Dalit women are the target of the upper Hindu classes even in today’s civilized world. During counter insurgency operations, the Indian Army has virtually made new records of rape and molestation of women in Indian Occupied Kashmir. The most recent example is of May 30, 2009, where Indian Army personnel raped and subsequently killed two college girls, thus demonstrating the worst form of brutality and violation of human rights.12 All these acts are taking place in world’s biggest democracy and a so-called secular state.
The Misperceived Concept of Races
Majority of racists believe that human beings are naturally divided into various groups based on some deep-seated biologically hereditary characteristics, which otherwise are not shared by members of other races. In their opinion these differences can be observed prominently from the outer shell of various groups. But this criterion does not seem to be the everlasting basis of racism. As by and large it has been experienced that racism is found even among the masses having the same corporeal appearance and same geographical region. In such cases racism finds its roots in caste, creed, ancestry and even religions.
Besides the above cited example of Japanese prejudiced handling of Koreans (both having identical appearance) during the occupational period, India being one the biggest countries still carries the historical baggage of caste system. It has four main castes – Brahmins, the intellectual class, Kshatriya, the warrior class, Vaishys, the agricultural and trade class and Shudras, the services or manual worker class. Contrary to its claim, dominant Indian castes have always committed unprecedented degradation of its lower classes especially Dalits; otherwise a serious violations of fundamental human rights. Apart from this, extensive societal violence and legal and social discrimination against women, forced prostitution, child abuse and female infanticide, widespread inter-caste and communal violence, religion-based violence against Muslims and Christians are regular features13.
Over the years, European and American scientists and even some philosophers had wrongly assumed that white skinned people are superior to others. Similarly a number of social and natural scientists had made their scientific efforts to elevate one race over another. Yet another class of scientists assumed that some races like blacks have inborn shortcomings as compared to others, especially European nations.14 But with the developments in scientific research, invention of new methods and enrichment in the vision of scholars, it has been established that those scientific assumptions and philosophical theories were ill conceived15.
Today African blacks are practically considered equal to western whites. And scientists openly advocate that; “there are few genetic characteristics to be found in the population of England that are not found in similar proportions in Zaire or in China….those differences that most deeply affect us in our dealings with each other are not to any significant degree biologically determined”16. Had there been an obtrusive difference in the potentials of these communities, the black skinned African origin Barack Obama would not have been the President of the sole super power the United States of America.
In the highly globalized world with a unipolar character where thousands of human rights organizations and millions of activists are working for the betterment of humanity, it is unfortunate that the issue of racial discrimination is persisting with more enthusiasm and as a mark of superiority by so called civilized nations of the world. The United Nations in its definition of racial discrimination (racism) has categorically called for elimination of its all forms as, “racial discrimination shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life”17.
The Universal Vow for Human Rights
The process of slavery based on racism continued throughout even after the establishment of the modern state system through Westphalia (1648). However there have been grave concerns about the discriminatory conduct by those who held power against the unassuming classes of human being. In the aftermath of World War-II and following the foundation of the United Nations Organization, on December 10, 1948 ‘the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ was adopted and proclaimed by UN General Assembly. Through its contents, all member countries were called upon to publicize and disseminate the text of the Declaration without making any distinction or prejudice of political status of countries or territories down to educational institutions at the global level.
In its opening paragraph, the Declaration assures freedom, equality and dignity of all human beings in the wordings that; “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”.18 Whereas Article – 2 out rightly denounced the racial discrimination and consider everybody to be free having the privileges of all the rights set forth in this Declaration. There have been made no distinction of any kind like “race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status”19. In the same way “no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty”.20
In similar lines, the declaration provides assurance for the safety of the basic human rights of every individual, societal clusters or political entities; the nation states at the level of international politics. Article-4 of the Declaration firmly prohibits the slavery in all its forms and manifestations. Elaborating the concept of slavery and its physical application, the proviso underlines that no human being shall be held in “slavery or servitude”. The curse of slavery and trade of slaves must be banned in all its forms. Unfortunately, the contents of this basic document on human safety and security have never been implemented in true letter and spirit. Rather, the Declaration has been used for the subjugation of some countries or groups while endorsement of others, merely on the basis of discrimination. This practice is still continuing in this highly civilized world.
The Belated Response to Racism
As an overdue notion, UNESCO has organized four World Conferences against Racism (WCAR) with a massive cleft amid these. The first ever conference was held in 1978, at Geneva, Switzerland21 with the agenda of reaching out on some solution of South African Apartheid racial segregation and discrimination. Subsequently the second conference was again held in Geneva in 198322. The Apartheid was a system of legalized segregation/separation of South Africans through a legislature under the National Party, which classified the inhabitants into racial categories like blacks, whites, coloured and Indians based on racism. The system remained enforced from 1948 to 1994. According to the system, discriminatory laws were made for the majority black population by the minority white ruling race. After an unremitting armed struggle, the majority blacks won the democratically held elections in 1994 and brought apartheid rule to an end.
Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
The third conference was held in Durban, South Africa, consented as “World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance” in 200123. Mary Robison, the then Secretary General of the conference, while emphasizing on the ways of contemporary racism which really worry everyone, specifically said that, “We need to pay particular attention to gender and racism, and recognize the double discrimination which can occur”24. The conference spanned over a period of over one week; from August 31 to September 7, 2001, with comprehensive deliberation on the agenda. Upon criticism on Israeli Zionist activities turning into racism, United States and Israel walked out of the conference25 and even EU countries refused to censure the Israeli repression against innocent Palestinians, once Arab World made such a demand. The West was so myopic that once African countries asked for an apology from all those who kept them slaves and under ill treatment, Britain made a walk out and EU countries followed suit.
The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted through consensus is considered to be a comprehensive document for addressing the concerns of racial discrimination, racism, xenophobia and other related acts of intolerance. Content wise “it encompasses far-reaching measures to combat racism in all its manifestations, calling for tougher anti-discrimination legislation and administrative measures; for better education, access to health and administration of justice; for greater efforts to fight poverty and secure development; for improved remedies and resources available to victims of racism; and for greater multiculturalism and respect for the rule of law and human rights”26. The significant trait remained unrequited was about the sincerity of international community in implementation of the contents of the declaration.
During the conference there remained a heated debate on the given theme and towards the end of it, a declaration; ‘Durban Declaration and Programme of Action’ (DDPA) was also adopted. But the shady side of the conference was that it hangs about on the criticism of one state against other or an alliance of states against other’s doings without making a mention of their own idiocies in the field of racism. As a reference, to put a lid on their past performance, United States and Europe made all out efforts to avoid a discussion on ‘slavery reparations’. Israel and U.S. made a serious protest against discussion on the Zionism as form of racism against the native people of Palestine in the heart of Arab world27.
On the part of the Arab world, some of the Middle Eastern countries opposed discussion on the domineering acts by a few states against Kurd population, currently divided over four major countries. India dodged out discussion on discriminatory caste based system it still follows as a legacy of the murky ages. It took a refuge behind Israel and US for its prejudiced treatment against minorities and massive repression and human rights violations against Kashmiri population in its occupied portion of the State of Jammu and Kashmir in complete disregard to UN resolutions that otherwise promised right of self determination to Kashmiri people. Furthermore, the bulk of the world powers sent their low level delegates in the conference, which indicated the low importance they gave to the conference.
The Durban Review Conference
In order to know the pace of progress on the content of the Durban Conference, in 2006 the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in consultation with UN member states made a decision to arrange a review conference in 200928. The review conference was held from April 20 to April 24, 2009, at Geneva and mostly reaffirmed the contents of Durban Declaration – 2001. Para-6 of section-1 of the ‘Outcome Document of the Review Conference’, “reaffirms that all peoples and individuals constitute one human family, rich in diversity, and that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights; and strongly rejects any doctrine of racial superiority along with theories which attempt to determine the existence of so-called distinct human races”29.
In its paragraph–12, the document “deplores the global rise and number of incidents of racial or religious intolerance and violence, including Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianophobia and anti-Arabism manifested in particular by the derogatory stereotyping and stigmatization of persons based on their religion or belief”30. Unfortunately there remained quite a significant absentees or nonattendance by member countries in the review conference which gave an impression that is a lack of resolve on the part of all those who really matter in the enduring international politics.
The trend may promote all those who are involved in racism or racial discrimination to continue unabated. The nastiest part of the conference has been that upon apprehending a strong aversion from Arab participants, the United States alongwith Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden Israel and many other western champions of the human rights did not even participate in the conference. The President of the Conference Amos Wako of Kenya said that, “What we have decided shows the outcome when you remain engaged in the process ——- and that boycotts do not assist”31.
It was really a matter of mortification that forty western delegates walked out of the conference at the start of the address by guest of honour, Iranian President Ahmadinejad especially once he uncovered the truth of Israeli racial activities and repressive acts against innocent Palestinian. President Ahmadinejad elaborated the UK and French planned strategy, through which Jewish concentration from all over the world was ensured in the Middle East after WW-I in a phased programme which continued even after the WW-II. In his view it was aimed to set up a racist government in the heart of Arab lands (in the Palestinian territories) as a compensation for what Hitler and other European nations did to them, because of their misdemeanors.
The walkout by over forty delegates and prominent absentees can be accredited to the biggest mortification for the UNESCO and a narrow minded approach of the highly civilized Western world. According to the Associated Press, the French Ambassador Mr. Jean-Baptiste Mattei remarked that, “as soon as he started to address the question of the Jewish people and Israel, we had no reason to stay in the room”32. Whereas the British ambassador Peter Gooderham, left the conference with the annotations that the Iranian Presidents comments were “offensive and inflammatory and such outrageous anti-Semitic remarks should have no place in a UN anti-racism forum”33. Many in the Conference declared the walkouts as licentious acts. The BBC correspondents Imogen Foulkes and Jeremy Paxman declared theses acts as a ‘stunt’ and questioned why the world community, particularly the sufferers should not be allowed to criticize the Israeli role and it’s Zionism, continuously promoting racism in the region.
Regrettably, these were the manners in which the most civilized world behaved in the dome of globalization where people have grown more aware than ever before, or once they were under colonialism, a century before. Under the prevailing environment, United States and European Union are considered to be the most enlightened societies of the world. Once these truant and walkouts are taken into account the veracity of the ‘civilized world’ becomes amply clear to everyone at the global level. While making a particular reference to the US staying away from the review conference, Navi Pillay, the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement, “I am shocked and deeply disappointed by the United States decision not to attend a conference that aims to combat racism, xenophobia, racial discrimination and other forms of intolerance worldwide”34.
It is worth mentioning that being part of the United Nations Secretariat, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has been given a specific mandate for the promotion and protection of human rights all over the world. Its main headquarter is in Geneva with branches spread over forty countries of the globe on regional basis. It was established in 1993, with the High Commissioner for Human Rights as its head. The office is also mandated to guard and advocate human rights laws.
Indeed, even in the 21st century, the mighty West has still not reconciled to what it has been doing customarily during the dark ages. After the review conference Franco Frattini, the Italian Foreign Minister, out of frustration declared the act as, “a very serious mistake, because it shows our inability, despite all the words uttered in this connection, to come up with at least a lowest common denominator on a basic problem: namely the struggle against discrimination, on behalf of which we in Brussels so often speak out”35.
In spite of their emaciated presence, the United States and the Western world remained so biased and dominant, that towards the preparation of the final draft of the Durban Review Conference all discriminatory Zionist acts by Israel against innocent Palestinian were greatly watered downed. The only reference made in the final draft is the inclusion of a clause regarding the incitement of religious hatred on the request of Middle Eastern states as face saver. The Western countries were even not in favor of this much indirect mentioning of Israel so much so that the first ever black President of US, Mr. Barack Obama remarking about the anti-Israeli language in the draft communiqué said, “oftentimes completely hypocritical and counterproductive”. The proposed draft (later amended) was taken as a direct attack on the US administration.
The Way Forward
In an eon where there is despondency on account of racial discrimination, the oppressed classes of world community which indeed form the bulk of humanity are looking for a system which gives them their basic rights to survive with equality, respect and dignity. Starting from the city state system of Greek’s domination to Roman Empire and then on to the nations states, following the treaty of Westphalia, racial discrimination could not be decimated. Rather, there has been an upsurge in racial activities after the global community attained enhanced mellowness in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Upon establishment of a globally managerial authority by UNO, the oppressed class took a sigh of relief and probably thought that the time had come where they too would get identical treatment from the global powers through this universal body. But unfortunately this did not materialize. Neither Capitalism through its idealistic and realistic theories, nor Communism through the Marxists- Leninist philosophy could make a remedy for nations and social groups, who were/are being treated discriminatorily over the years through the scourge of racism.
The global treaties, agreements, and declarations on human rights and racial discriminations agreed upon through a range of conferences and conventions could not be implemented in their true letter and spirit, primarily because of the opinionated and high-status mendacity. The myopic treatment given to this thin-skinned issue of the humanity by the United States and its western cohorts has raised serious misgivings by victim class and advocates of the egalitarianism and justice in the world. Failure of all manmade systems in giving the basic rights to survive to all those who have been mistreated through years and years would ask for some alternative system which is free from the synthetic limits.
The globally singled out and discriminated assortment of human being is desperately looking for some substitute arrangement; a novel system, which takes care of their rights on the basis of sameness, free will and justice for all. The system should out rightly eliminate racial or any other form of bigotry. It should not be a synthetic classification with intrinsic biasness. The system should be governed by the golden principles as given by the Last Prophet of Allah, the Holy Prophet (PBUH), in his last address (Khutbatul Wida), which says; “all mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a White has no superiority over a Black nor does a Black have any superiority over a White except by piety and good action”.
The system is so untainted of the racial or any other discrimination that the blackest African origin man Hazrat Bilal was the loveliest person for the last Prophet of Allah, because of his piety. It is a God gifted system, therefore it is free of inaccuracies and discrimination on any account. Its Preacher sermonized morality as its basic teaching in his initial thirteen years of the Prophethood. It has firmly established the rights and duties of everyone in a family, social setup and at the level of state.
The first example of the Islamic state was the State of Medina, where people from all religions, various racial and social backgrounds were accommodated without any discrimination. However there would be a need that the system should be analyzed in its entirety with no preconceived notions. The present tainted picture as presented by extremists and terrorists in the name of this belief in fact has nothing to do with Islam. Indeed these are the agendas of all those who follow the politics of hatred. They have no religion, race or values of their own. Islam as matter of fact is the religion of humanity, which preaches peace and condemns violence. It firmly believes in freedom of mankind and strongly denounces slavery, racial discrimination or any other chauvinism leading towards degradation of human beings.
Conclusion
The writer and analyst Fernando Henriques recounts that majority of Blacks and Negros who fought for US against Nazi Germany were not initially absorbed in the Armed Forces of US after World War-II. Even the children of the blacks were not allowed to study with the children of whites in most US states. For provision of employments, the common rule in practice was that “black people were the last to be hired and the first to be fired”. The Apartheids of South Africa and European colonial powers in rest of African countries were practicing similar systems of racial discrimination.
On the Russian front neither the Tsarists nor the Bolshevists could abolish the racial discrimination. It is said about the dominant world powers, particularly those who remained engaged with racism that, “First they demonized the blacks to justify slavery. Then they demonized the coloureds to justify colonialism. Today, they demonize asylum seekers to justify the ways of globalism. And, in the age of the media, of spin, demonization sets out the parameters of popular culture within which such exclusion finds its own rationale — usually under the guise of xenophobia, the fear of strangers”.
End Notes
1. Peter B. Norton; The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 9 (Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc), p 880
2. Martin N. Marger; Race and Ethnic Relations; American and Global Perspectives (Wadsworth Publishing Company Belmont California; 1985), p 11.
3. Marcus Cunliffe (ed); The Times History of Our Times (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London; 1971), P. 100.
4. Frank Furedi; The Silent War: Imperialism and the Changing Perception of Race (Pluto Press, London; 1998), P.8
5. Fernando Henriques; The Times History of Our Times, (ed) (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London; 1971), P. 100.
6. Thomas Gossett; Race: The History of an Idea in America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), pp. 1-3.
7. Bernard Boxill (ed), Race and Racism (Oxford University Press New York; 2001), p 1.
8. Samuel Francis, The Origins of Racism; Published in Sovereignty (Glasgow based think tank), May 1999.
9. Martin N. Marger; Race and Ethnic Relations: American and Global Perspectives (Wadsworth Publishing, 1985), pp. 198-199.
10. If Obama Loses: Racism is the Only Reason Mccain Might Beat Him, Jacob Weisber
11. Dai Sil Kim – Gibson; Silence Broken: Korean Comfort Women, (Amazon, 1999), pp. 5-7.
12. The News, May 3, 2009.
13. The National Herald Tribune, March 27, 2009.
14. Steve Fenton; Ethnicity, Racism, Class and Culture (Macmillan; London; 1999), pp. 67- 68.
15. Martin N. Marger; Race and Ethnic Relations: American and Global Perspectives (Wadsworth Publishing, 1985), pp. 11-13.
16. Ibid.
17. UN: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights> http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/.
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid
20. Ibid
21. The Declarations and Programmes of Action adopted by the First (1978) World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination > http://www.racism.gov.za/substance/confdoc/declfirst.htm
22. The Declarations and Programmes of Action adopted by the Second (1983) World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination> http://www.racism.gov.za/substance/confdoc/decl1983.htm
23. Journal of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance Durban, South Africa, 31 August -7 September 2001.
24. Ibid.
25. The Nation, April 20, 2009.
26. The Economist, 23 April 2009.
27. BBC News, 20 April 2009.
28. The China View, 25 April 2009.
29. Outcome document of the Durban Review Conference, April 24, 2009.
30. Ibid.
31. The New York Times , 21 April 2009.
32. The Associated Press, April 20.
33. Ibid.
34. The Nation, April 20, 2009.
35. Mark Mardell, BBC News, April 24, 2009.
