University Essay: Justification for Minority Rights in Modern Society

This essay examines the critical role of minority rights in contemporary society. It argues for the necessity of these rights by highlighting the potential for discrimination and deprivation faced by minority groups. The essay explores concepts like utilitarianism and Kantian ethics to justify the implementation of minority rights, emphasizing the need for equity over mere equality. It also addresses counterarguments, which question the concept of special privileges, and highlights the importance of minority rights in fostering an inclusive and just society. The essay explores the need for equal rights and opportunities for all citizens regardless of their background. It concludes by reinforcing the significance of minority rights in establishing a socially inclusive society that protects the fundamental human rights of every individual.

Running head: THE CLAIM THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE MINORITY RIGHTS.
THE CLAIM THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE MINORITY RIGHTS
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1THE CLAIM THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE MINORITY RIGHTS
Rights are legally recognized as a special interest of an individual that put others under a
duty not to interfere with them. When a person has a right to religious freedom, it means other
people cannot interfere with the individual’s choice and practice of his or her ethical preference.
Minorities are a group of people who are less in number than the majority of the population
(May 2013). In many states, they are granted with some minority right in order to protect their
basic rights. While some are in favor of minority rights, some debater argues it is not against
equality. The paper aims to discuss the reasons minority rights should be present in today’s
society. The reasons that help in understanding the importance of minority right will be
addressed in the paper.
Recognition of the minority:
The aim of minority rights is to provide justice to the groups that are commonly the
victim of discrimination and deprivation. Society is a more or less self-sufficient association of
persons who are bound by several rules of conduct. Through the help of these specific rules, it is
made possible to have a ‘cooperative venture for mutual advantage’. Since it is the ‘identity of
interest’ that makes possible society a better place with a life that is better for all, it is a
cooperative venture for mutual advantage (Patten 2014). It is essential that the minorities of
society are allowed to exercise equal rights. Minorities are all national cultural, religious, ethnic
and linguistic minorities whose minority status has been recognized by federal legislation. They
are recognized international binding declaration along with minorities that define and organize
themselves as such. Since minority groups are less in number, they are often the neglected
groups for the fact that the majority of the people do not realize their presence. Also, as they
differ from the majority group,, they are considered different than the majority leading the whole
phenomenon towards discrimination. Therefore, to protect the minority groups from

2THE CLAIM THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE MINORITY RIGHTS
discrimination, assimilation, violence and hostility minority rights are developed by the nations.
The aim of minority rights is to highlight that minority rights do not possess constitute privileges
however it ensures equal respect for the members of the society to a minimum level of equality
considering the fundamental and basic human rights. According to the theory of utilitarianism,
actions are considered to be morally right when the consequences of the action are beneficial to
the greater population. Allowing equal rights or minority rights helps minorities from becoming
socially backwards groups. A society with socially backward groups is likely to develop
misconduct behavior and social issues. Therefore, when the minority groups are recognized and
given with the privilege of accessing the equal rights similar to the other people of the society
(Weinstock 2016).
Equity more than equality:
Society is a place that consists of conflicts of interest where each person looks for their
advantage and has conflicts. There are limited resources in the society in terms of opportunity,
goods and services. It is a constant state of conflict which the reason there is an existence of
inequality in the society (Forst 2018). In this situation, it is the groups in the majority that get the
advantage, and the minority groups become suppressed. This has continued for centuries and led
the minority groups become the socially backward group. Therefore, it is important to provide
them with extra beneficiaries in order to eliminate the gap between minorities and majorities.
According to the Kantian theory of ethics, intention plays the most important role in determining
an action right or wrong. Minority rights are created with the intention of having equality among
every individual. Therefore, it is a morally right decision that is undertaken by the government of
many nations. Minorities are lacking behind in many aspects of the society and social life
therefore in order to help them cope with the changes they are provided with the minority

3THE CLAIM THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE MINORITY RIGHTS
rights(Smith 2018). It is an essential element of a just state. Also, they are a weaker section of
the society for they are not bestowed with power like the majority. Therefore they are at higher
risk of becoming suppressed and being deprived of their fundamental rights. It is therefore
essential to have minority rights in a nation, specifically in the multicultural society.
Equality: Although there is an adequate supporter of minority rights, there are also groups that
are against the minority rights. According to them, although minorities represent the groups who
are disadvantaged for their small numbers however, it is not always the way. The term is also
used to describe a category of people who have unequal access to positions of wealth, power and
prestige and they are the people who are the victim of discrimination and prejudice. There should
not any special recognition to minority group for the fact that everyone is human and everyone
must be given equal opportunity. By giving special privileges to the minority it is violating the
principle of equality. The minority rights precludes the known fact that it is wrong to have
certain set of laws or special recognitions on certain basis which are only to bring forth
sectionalism, elitism and other forms of differentiations. This is only to lead to the ultimate
situations of marginalization, intolerance, squabbles and extremism (Jones 2017).
An act of favourism: minority rights are acts of favourism as certain people are given extra
benefits. It is unjust for the fact that it deprives the people who are potentially eligible. The
deserving population gets deprived from accessing their basic human rights due to minority
rights. According to the principle of justice, there should be equal basic liberty and difference
principle of fair opportunity principle. Therefore, the concept of minority rights is certainly
against the two principles. Justice is the first value of principles for the social institutions.
Therefore, when there are minority rights, it gives unfair treatment and opportunity to the

4THE CLAIM THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE MINORITY RIGHTS
population of the society. It is simply an unjust performed by the political, social and economic
institutions (Ziemes and Abs 2017).
The cooperation of people having a society with minorities in open undertakings is
important in every part of the social, political, economic and social existence of the nation. It is
then they will be able to have lives in truth fundamental and be protected with their identity.
Through the help of minority rights they will be able to fight the injustice occurred to them and
the discrimination faced by hem in every aspect of society. They will also be able of fighting
social avoidance. Components are required to guarantee that the assorted variety of society with
respect to minority bunches is reflected in open establishments, for example, national
parliaments, the common administration part, including the police and the legal executive, and
that people having a place with minorities are reasonably and acceptably spoken to, counseled
and have a voice in choices which influence them or the domains and areas in which they live.
Investment must be noteworthy and not simply representative, and perceive, for example, that
minorities are normally underrepresented and that their worries may not be sufficiently tended to.
The cooperation of ladies having a place with minorities is of specific concern
(Breskaya,Giordan and Richardson 2018).
The security of minority rights is an act of intercultural and resistance exchange. Through
empowerment that is shared considerably and comprehension, the several gatherings that include
a general public of the society ought to have the option to draw in, corporate and collaborate with
each other, while protecting their own character. The essential components required for the
recognition of this objective in regard to minority rights are to advance learning of minorities’
way of life, language, history, and religion in an intercultural point of view and perspective. At
the end of the day, the significant part is the assurance of minority rights can advance a

5THE CLAIM THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE MINORITY RIGHTS
comprehensive, quiet and durable society, with respect for mixed variety. It is to have a socially
inclusive culture.
In between ethnic tensions, divisions and rejection which is prominent and remain
unaddressed can become a wellspring of insecurity and struggle without much of a stretch.
Managing minority rights is the greater part relations in the consequences of ethnic clash and
conflicts that are integral to accomplishing strong harmony. In such manner, the assurance of
national minorities is certainly not just major to upgrade social inclusion in differing social
orders yet in addition basic to accomplish vote based security, possible improvement and
harmony in a setting of weakness.
As discussed above, rights are legally recognized as a special interest of an individual
that put others under a duty not to interfere with them. When a person has a right to religious
freedom, it means other people cannot interfere with the individual’s choice and practice of his
or her ethical preference. However, there are certain groups of people even though they are
assigned to same human rights they do not get to access them due to several injustices.
Therefore, it is important to give them special rights to the minorities in order to have a socially
inclusive society that promotes equity to help every section of the society.

6THE CLAIM THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE MINORITY RIGHTS
References:
Breskaya, O., Giordan, G. and Richardson, J.T., 2018. Human Rights and Religion: A
Sociological Perspective. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 57(3), pp.419-431.
Forst, R., 2018. Toleration, justice and reason.In The culture of toleration in diverse
societies.Manchester University Press.
Jones, P., 2017. Human rights, group rights, and peoples’ rights.In Human Rights (pp. 277-
304).Routledge.
May, S., 2013.Language and minority rights: Ethnicity, nationalism and the politics of language.
Routledge.
Patten, A., 2014. Equal recognition: The moral foundations of minority rights. Princeton
University Press.
Smith, R.K., 2018. International human rights law.Oxford University Press.
Weinstock, D., 2016. Equal Recognition: The Moral Foundations of Minority Rights, Alan
Patten (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2014), 344 pp., $45 cloth $29.95 paper. Ethics
& International Affairs, 30(2), pp.278-281.
Ziemes, J. and Abs, H., 2017. Strong identities and endorsement of human rights: Conflictive or
complementary?.South African Journal of Higher Education, 31(6), pp.151-166.