Download or read book Human Rights Between Universality and Islamic Legitimacy written by Assistant Professor in Political Science Mahmoud Bassiouni and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2024 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Human Rights Between Universality and Islamic Legitimacy, Mahmoud Bassiouni addresses the debate surrounding the compatibility of Islam and human rights. He argues that to understand their compatibility, we need to better understand the dynamic way in which Islamic tradition has evolved relative to international human rights. Including analyses of different Muslim positions, Bassiouni identifies their merits and shortcomings and asks how we can rethink and answer open questions in human rights philosophy by bringing the resources of the Islamic tradition to bear upon them.
Download or read book Human Rights Between Universality and Islamic Legitimacy written by Mahmoud Bassiouni and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2024 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Historically, the dynamics underlying contemporary Muslim human rights discourse and the related question of identity can be traced back to the second half of the nineteenth century. Faced with European superiority and aware of their own need for reform, Muslim intellectuals pondered how to explain the stagnation of Islamic societies and what initiatives were needed to bring about the desired progress. Many Muslims were troubled not only by Europe's material superiority, but also by the sense of inferiority they felt in the face of Europe's ideological defamation of Islamic societies. "Any person," wrote the French philosopher Ernest Renan in 1883, "with a modicum of instruction in the affairs of our time clearly sees the current inferiority of Muslim countries, the decadence of the states governed by Islam, the intellectual nonentity of the races that derive their culture and education solely from this religion." Thus, the idea of reform derived its impetus from an ideological challenge that saw the causes of Muslim stagnation as residing in Islam and identified the latter as inhibiting, or even blocking, the progress of Islamic societies. Accordingly, the crisis of the Muslim search for identity unfolded in response to the question of how to define oneself in relation to Europe and what role Islam should play in this regard. In a broader sense, Muslims were confronted with the basic questions of political philosophy: What principles should we live by, and where do we derive these principles from? Can the principles of a modern society be derived from Islam? Or is it necessary to refer to the ideas and institutions of Europe? To what extent can we then still define ourselves as Muslims in relation to Europe? In response to these questions, three broad currents of thought can be identified. 2.1 Trialogue of Identities Echoing the European position, a secularist school of thought believed that Muslims, by virtue of their religion, were intellectually incapable of developing progressive thought in the European sense. According to this view, Islam was fundamentally incompatible with science and modern civilization. Muslims should therefore accept European modernity as the ultimate frame of reference and assimilate to Europe as much as possible. Politically, this assimilationist stance became most prominent in Turkey. In contrast, a second, much broader current of thought, which might be called traditionalist, argued that the plight of Muslims was due to colonization and oppression by the European West. According to this view, the stagnation of Islamic societies was caused by the exercise of European imperial power, to which Muslims had fallen victim, so that adopting European ideas would be tantamount to intellectual capitulation. Rather, Muslims should seek and rediscover their strength in their own past. The only way to express one's true identity, according to this argument, is to return to one's own tradition"--
Download or read book Islam and the Challenge of Human Rights written by Abdulaziz Sachedina and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-11-05 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the International Declaration of Human Rights, a document designed to hold both individuals and nations accountable for their treatment of fellow human beings, regardless of religious or cultural affiliations. Since then, the compatibility of Islam and human rights has emerged as a particularly thorny issue of international concern, and has been addressed by Muslim rulers, conservatives, and extremists, as well as Western analysts and policymakers; all have commonly agreed that Islamic theology and human rights cannot coexist. Abdulaziz Sachedina rejects this informal consensus, arguing instead for the essential compatibility of Islam and human rights. He offers a balanced and incisive critique of Western experts who have ignored or underplayed the importance of religion to the development of human rights, contending that any theory of universal rights necessarily emerges out of particular cultural contexts. At the same time, he re-examines the juridical and theological traditions that form the basis of conservative Muslim objections to human rights, arguing that Islam, like any culture, is open to development and change. Finally, and most importantly, Sachedina articulates a fresh position that argues for a correspondence between Islam and secular notions of human rights.
Download or read book Human Rights with Modesty The Problem of Universalism written by and published by Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. This book was released on 2004-08-01 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume considers the problem of legal universals at the level of the rule of law and human rights, which have fundamentally different pedigrees, and attempts to come to terms with the new unease arising from the universal application of human rights. Given the juridicization of human rights, rule of law and human rights expectations have become significantly intertwined: human rights are enforced with the instruments of the rule of law and are thus limited by the restricted reach thereof. The first section of this volume considers the difficulties of universalistic claims and offers a number of possible solutions for adapting universal expectations to specific contexts. The second section considers problems of human rights politics; sections three and four present empirical studies about the appearance and disappearance of the rule of law and fundamental rights in Western and non-Western societies. Special attention is paid to the problems of developing countries, with a specific focus on past and present developments in Iran. These empirical studies indicate that the acceptance of human rights and the rule of law is historically contingent and cannot simply be considered as a matter of culture.
Download or read book Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry written by Michael Ignatieff and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-12-28 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Ignatieff draws on his extensive experience as a writer and commentator on world affairs to present a penetrating account of the successes, failures, and prospects of the human rights revolution. Since the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, this revolution has brought the world moral progress and broken the nation-state's monopoly on the conduct of international affairs. But it has also faced challenges. Ignatieff argues that human rights activists have rightly drawn criticism from Asia, the Islamic world, and within the West itself for being overambitious and unwilling to accept limits. It is now time, he writes, for activists to embrace a more modest agenda and to reestablish the balance between the rights of states and the rights of citizens. Ignatieff begins by examining the politics of human rights, assessing when it is appropriate to use the fact of human rights abuse to justify intervention in other countries. He then explores the ideas that underpin human rights, warning that human rights must not become an idolatry. In the spirit of Isaiah Berlin, he argues that human rights can command universal assent only if they are designed to protect and enhance the capacity of individuals to lead the lives they wish. By embracing this approach and recognizing that state sovereignty is the best guarantee against chaos, Ignatieff concludes, Western nations will have a better chance of extending the real progress of the past fifty years. Throughout, Ignatieff balances idealism with a sure sense of practical reality earned from his years of travel in zones of war and political turmoil around the globe. Based on the Tanner Lectures that Ignatieff delivered at Princeton University's Center for Human Values in 2000, the book includes two chapters by Ignatieff, an introduction by Amy Gutmann, comments by four leading scholars--K. Anthony Appiah, David A. Hollinger, Thomas W. Laqueur, and Diane F. Orentlicher--and a response by Ignatieff.
Download or read book Rescuing Human Rights written by Hurst Hannum and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-02-14 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focuses on understanding human rights as they really are and their proper role in international affairs.
Download or read book The Undermining of International Human Rights Law written by Agha-Ghassem Anahita and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Culturalization of Human Rights Law written by Federico Lenzerini and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: International human rights law was originally focused on universal individual rights. This book examines the developments which have seen it change to a multi-cultural approach, one more sensitive to the cultures of the people directly affected by them. It argues that this can provide benefits, but that aspects of universalism must be retained.
Download or read book Asian Perspectives On Human Rights written by Claude Welch and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-11-28 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analyzes Asian perspectives on human rights in terms of cultural traditions, grassroots and regional organizations, and economic constraints on the expression of rights. The book asks: are human rights western in their inception, are they universal or do they differ by region and culture.
Download or read book Human Rights and Islam written by Abdullah Saeed and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2018-04-27 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is there a basis for human rights in Islam? Beginning with an exploration of what rights are and how the human rights discourse developed, Abdullah Saeed explores the resources that exist within Islamic tradition. He looks at those that are compatible with international human rights law and can be garnered to promote and protect human rights in Muslim-majority states. A number of rights are given specific focus, including the rights of women and children, freedom of expression and religion, as well as jihad and the laws of war. Human Rights and Islam emphasises the need for Muslims to rethink problematic areas of Islamic thought that are difficult to reconcile with contemporary conceptions of human rights.
Download or read book Human Rights Universality and Diversity written by Eva Brems and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-10-18 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the 21st Century written by Gordon Brown and published by Open Book Publishers. This book was released on 2016-04-18 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Global Citizenship Commission was convened, under the leadership of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the auspices of NYU’s Global Institute for Advanced Study, to re-examine the spirit and stirring words of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The result – this volume – offers a 21st-century commentary on the original document, furthering the work of human rights and illuminating the ideal of global citizenship. What does it mean for each of us to be members of a global community? Since 1948, the Declaration has stood as a beacon and a standard for a better world. Yet the work of making its ideals real is far from over. Hideous and systemic human rights abuses continue to be perpetrated at an alarming rate around the world. Too many people, particularly those in power, are hostile to human rights or indifferent to their claims. Meanwhile, our global interdependence deepens. Bringing together world leaders and thinkers in the fields of politics, ethics, and philosophy, the Commission set out to develop a common understanding of the meaning of global citizenship – one that arises from basic human rights and empowers every individual in the world. This landmark report affirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and seeks to renew the 1948 enterprise, and the very ideal of the human family, for our day and generation.
Download or read book Human Rights in Iran written by Reza Afshari and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2011-02-17 with total page 437 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reza Afshari reveals Iran's attempt to hide human rights abuses by labeling oppression as an authentic cultural practice.
Download or read book Misconceptions on Human Rights in Islam written by Abdul Rahman Al-Sheha and published by Bright Sparks. This book was released on 2001 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Human Rights written by Marie Juul Petersen and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2019-07-05 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Established in 1969, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is an intergovernmental organization the purpose of which is the strengthening of solidarity among Muslims. Headquartered in Jeddah, the OIC today consists of fifty seven states from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The OIC's longevity and geographic reach, combined with its self-proclaimed role as the United Nations of the Muslim world, raise certain expectations as to its role in global human rights politics. However, to date, these hopes have been unfulfilled. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Human Rights sets out to demonstrate the potential and shortcomings of the OIC and the obstacles on the paths it has navigated. Historically, the OIC has had a complicated relationship with the international human rights regime. Palestinian self-determination was an important catalyst for the founding of the OIC, but the OIC did not develop a comprehensive human rights approach in its first decades. In fact, human rights issues were rarely, if at all, mentioned at the organization's summits or annual conferences of foreign ministers. Instead, the OIC tended to focus on protecting Islamic holy sites and strengthening economic cooperation among member states. As other international and regional organizations expanded the international human rights system in the 1990s, the OIC began to pay greater attention to human rights, although not always in a manner that aligned with Western conceptions. This volume provides essential empirical and theoretical insights into OIC practices, contemporary challenges to human rights, intergovernmental organizations, and global Islam. Essays by some of the world's leading scholars examine the OIC's human rights activities at different levels—in the UN, the organization's own institutions, and at the member-state level—and assess different aspects of the OIC's approach, identifying priority areas of involvement and underlying conceptions of human rights. Contributors: Hirah Azhar, Mashood A. Baderin, Anthony Tirado Chase, Ioana Cismas, Moataz El Fegiery, Turan Kayaoglu, Martin Lestra, Ann Elizabeth Mayer, Mahmood Monshipouri, Marie Juul Petersen, Zeynep Şahin-Mencütek, Heiní Skorini, M. Evren Tok.
Download or read book Human Rights and Agents of Change in Iran written by Rebecca Barlow and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-07-13 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume extends debates on the interaction between universal human rights and the political experiences of Iranians, through a conceptual analysis of ‘theories of change’. It assesses the practical processes by which individuals, organizations and movements can reform or impact the structural, theological and political challenges faced in the Iranian context. Contributors to this volume investigate how structures, institutions, and agents in Iran maneuver for influence and power at the state level, through the law, in international corridors, at the grassroots, and by implementing multiple and complex methods. The chapters provide distinct but interrelated analysis of key drivers of change in Iran. A number of those operate primarily through top-down approaches, such as the political reform movement, lawyers pursuing legislative change, and international human rights monitoring bodies. Others take a bottom-up approach, including local movements and campaigns such as the women’s movement, the labor movement, the student movement, and ethnic minority groups. By prompting drivers of change to think about causation, influence, sequencing, prioritization, roles and relationships, a theory of change ultimately makes the work more effective. Through rigorous analysis of these issues for drivers of change in the Islamic State, this volume is an important contribution to human rights in Iran. In an era of escalating tensions in the Middle East, it amplifies voices of reform and freedom, filling a crucial gap in our understanding of this region.
Download or read book Islam and Human Rights written by Kirk W. Larsen T. Hunter and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2015-05-26 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the last few years, issues related to human rights, including encouraging the democratization of Muslim societies from the Middle East to Southeast Asia, have acquired great importance in shaping the character of U.S.-Muslim relations and U.S. policy toward Muslim countries. An important impetus behind this development were the tragic events of 9/11, which demonstrated the destructive potential of militant groups that use a distorted interpretation of Islam as justification for their actions. These events also led to a greater realization by the United States--and the West--that a lack of democracy and lack of respect for human rights have been contributory factors to the rise of militant Islam. Consequently, in its approach toward the Muslim world, the United States has emphasized the themes of human rights and democracy. Within the Islamic world, too, both secular and moderate Islamists have begun focusing on issues related to human rights. Although many conservative Muslims believe that Islam is incompatible with Western notions of democracy and human rights, reformist Muslim thinkers and activists maintain that a proper reading of Islamic injunctions and the ethical values underpinning those injunctions shows there is no such incompatibility. Complicating the debate is the fact that many Muslims--secular as well as conservative and reformist--doubt the seriousness of the U.S. commitment to the cause of human rights and democracy in the Muslim world, believing that the United States applies human rights' standards selectively to suit its strategic and economic interests. Irrespective of the validity of these charges, they are part of the context of the U.S.-Muslim dialogue on human rights. And it is this complex dialogue that this volume seeks to advance.
