Islam and Human Rights: Selected Essays of Abdullahi An-Na'im

The relationship between Islam and human rights forms an important aspect of contemporary international human rights debates. Current international events have made the topic more relevant than ever in international law discourse. Professor Abdullahi An-Na'im is undoubtedly one of the leading international scholars on this subject. He has written extensively on the subject and his works are widely referenced in the literature. His contributions on the subject are however scattered in different academic journals and book chapters. This anthology is designed to bring together his academic contributions on the subject under one cover, for easy access for students and researchers in Islamic law and human rights.

Contents: Introduction; Part I Islam Between Universalism and Secularism: What do we mean by universal?; Islamic law, international relations and human rights: challenge and response; A kinder, gentler Islam?; Re-affirming secularism for Islamic societies; Islam and human rights: beyond the universality debate. Part II Islam and Human Rights in the Muslim World: Human rights in the Muslim world: socio-political conditions and scriptural imperatives; Civil rights in the Islamic constitutional traditions: shared ideals and divergent regimes; Human rights in the Arab world: a regional perspective; Human rights and Islamic identity in France and Uzbekistan: mediation of the local and global; 'The best of times' and 'the worst of times': human agency and human rights in Islamic societies. Part III Some Topical Issues in Islam and Human Rights Discourse: The Islamic law of apostasy and its modern applicability: a case from the Sudan; Religious minorities under Islamic law and the limits of cultural relativism; The rights of women and international law in the Muslim context; The contingent universality of human rights: the case of freedom of expression in African and Islamic contexts; Why should Muslims abandon jihad? Human rights and the future of international law. Part IV Conclusion: A Theory of Interdependence: The interdependence of religion, secularism, and human rights: prospects for Islamic societies; Name index