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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Saleh M. M. Rahman, MBBS, PhD, MPH, Institute of Public Health, Florida A & M University, FSH Science Research Center, Suite 209-A, Tallahassee, FL 32307, 850-599-8840, saleh.rahman@famu.edu and Selina Rahman, MBBS, PhD, MPH, Environmental Sciences Institute, Florida A & M University, 1520 South Brinough St., SRC 308-O, Tallahassee, FL 32307.

Human Rights violations occur around the globe and particularly in those nations without democracy or have premature democracy. Moreover, there exist some evidence that would suggest that social values and practices are closely linked to patriarchal views and authoritative constructs. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, this study explores and examines human rights and health status in relation to Islamic practices and values parallel to the existing state laws. This study also critically appraises the relationship with human rights and libertarian views versus communitarian and patriarchal views that are embedded in the social values. Bangladesh has an estimated 144 million people of which 83% are Muslim, and 45% under the poverty line. The state legal system is based on English Common Law. The head of the state and the leader of the opposition parties are women. However, in many rural areas, urban slums and in some urban pocket areas, the Islamic faith based rules and laws are used alongside with state laws. Inexorably, the social values that conflict with fundamental human rights are playing critical roles of influence regarding the way these values are being exercised in the broader Bangladesh society. Though Bangladesh has proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the inherent conflict of Article 16 and 18 of the declaration with Islamic values and laws have impacted the human rights dilemma in Bangladesh along with economic disadvantages and political unrests which may have further complicated by the influences of other Muslim nations that share the patriarchal views.

Learning Objectives: