Basima Ahmad, Southfields, London
Now more than ever it has become apparent how much we rely on the internet to navigate smoothly through our current society. During this pandemic so many aspects of our lives have been moved online: education, jobs, applications, and even social interactions have all had to make their way into a digital space, even more so than before. However, it has also highlighted and deepened inequalities between developed and developing nations, and even within nations themselves.
The need for justice is emphasised many times in the Holy Qur’an, such as in the following verse: “Verily, Allah requires you to abide by justice, and to treat with grace, and give like the giving of kin to kin;” (16:91).(1) It seems that in this age as our lives become increasingly digital, new forms of injustice must be considered. Who has access to the internet and who does not? Economic and academic opportunities hang in the balance.
In 2011 the UN put out a report outlining how the internet has become a catalyst for exercising human rights, especially that of freedom of opinion and expression which facilitates other rights as well as promoting economic, social, and political development. (2) Information is power, and the internet has become our main source for information. On a personal scale, I have seen the impact of poor connection on my fellow students’ education as some people are unable to fully access their lessons. Our school has had to give out data plans to students without adequate internet access, but we are one of the fortunate ones. Even within Great Britain, one of the richest countries in the world, between January and February 2020 4% of households did not have internet access. (3) Take this issue, expand it globally and you will see part of the problem.
Not only this, but once you move online there are issues of regulations. How will students be safeguarded? Will worker’s rights be protected in the same way online? There are challenges related to fair working conditions, social protections, and algorithmic monitoring which all must be discussed.(4)
The importance of digital equality has been recognised by governments internationally; in 2017 Kerala became the first state in India to declare the internet as a fundamental right of citizens. Then in November 2019 the finance minister announced the K-FON project to provide free internet access to Below Poverty Line families.(5) This comes as part of efforts to boost Kerala’s economy, demonstrating the importance placed on the internet as a tool to bridge the divide between developing and developed countries.
In an address to the City of Glasgow Reception in 2009 His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim community emphasised the responsibility of governments to promote social justice:
“On the surface, we say that mutual rights should be discharged – and indeed in this age there are many NGOs established to help attain this purpose – but they have limited financial resources at their disposal. Secondly, they can only work up to the extent that governments permit them. Thus, to discharge due rights in fairness it is imperative that national governments fulfil the obligations of justice towards their citizens”(6)
I believe we should strive to uphold governments to standards of justice, not just when it comes to the internet, but in every aspect of social justice. One thing we can take with us going forward from the pandemic and this Day of Social Justice is an increased awareness of social issues and a drive to have our voices heard.
References:
1., 6.Peace Depends on Justice and Economic Progress Depends on Peace Address in Glasgow https://www.alislam.org/articles/peace-depends-on-justice-and-economic-progress-depends-on-peace/
2. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue, Human Rights Council, Seventeenth session Agenda item 3, United Nations General Assembly, 16 May 2011. Page 19 https://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/17session/A.HRC.17.27_en.pdf
3.Internet access – households and individuals, Great Britain: 2020, Office for National Statistics https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/householdcharacteristics/homeinternetandsocialmediausage/bulletins/internetaccesshouseholdsandindividuals/2020#:~:text=1.-,Main%20points,2006%20when%20comparable%20records%20began.&text=In%20January%20to%20February%202020%2C%2076%25%20of%20adults%20in%20Great,2007%20and%2073%25%20in%202019.
4. 2021 theme: A Call for Social Justice in the Digital Economy, United Nations
https://www.un.org/en/observances/social-justice-day
5. Statement by Thomas Isaac, Finance Minister of Kerala
Voice of British Muslim Women 
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