PDF Islam and Human Rights: Tradition and Politics by Ann Elizabeth Mayer in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An unexpected captivating bookBy CustomerI came to Ann Mayer’s book knowing little about human rights schemes other than a bit about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) I read a long time ago. In my naïveté I thought UDHR was it; something universal for all (and all means all).To the Islamic world the UDHR seems to be largely a ‘Western construct’ and is not applicable to it (in name perhaps but not in practice). For ‘solving’ this tension there is the UIDHR (Universal Islamic Declaration of Human Rights) generated decades after the UDHR. The UIDHR is adhered to by Muslim-majority states (57) belonging to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The UIDHR is a parallel world for human rights; so much for the claimed “universality” of the UDHR now facing a counter claim.The eye-opening book by Ann Mayer is not only about the OIC; UIDHR or UDHR but covers several national Islamic human right schemes expressed in constitutions or similar of Islamic nations. It makes for fascinating reading.Mayer shows the divergent and sometimes tangential position Islam occupies in human rights aspects relative to (or normative in) the UDHR. This despite UIDHR in language is skilfully modelled after the UDHR. Mayer points out conflicts between meanings in UIDHR’s Arabic language articles and their ‘official’ English translations. Full equivalency is not achieved; confusion reigns. Deliberate? Who knows.When reading Mayer’s captivating and analytical book (not a herculean task) the reader becomes aware that from a Muslim perspective Sharia is human rights; thus Qur’an-determined. Also; there are formidable Muslim thinkers and tacticians where it concerns arriving at human rights constructs that suit Islam. Mayer gives credit where it is due and acknowledges the input by Muslims in drafting the UDHR as we know it and hints at the difficulty or struggle they must have experienced in staying true to their faith when in the end going along with the draft UDHR.Mayer’s book may be at times dry but contains riveting sections. I thoroughly appreciated reading her exposition (in human rights setting) of the Salman Rushdie situation following his publication of The Satanic Verses.The book is likely written for human rights specialists or students of human rights in academia (the tone of the book is ‘academia’ – no hype) but the serious general reader of political Islam will learn much. I now appreciate that to Muslims; criticisms of them by ‘the West’ solely raised on a UDHR diet do not hold water in localities where the UIDHR is applied.An astonishing discovery for me is the long and persistent effort by the Muslim world of bringing ‘religion’ (read: Islam) under the human rights protection framework. This means giving an ideology (theirs) the same protection accorded to humans as for rights. The implications are enormous.3 of 5 people found the following review helpful. The Heart of this Book is lies with the TruthBy David RaschBy this I mean the author states in the beginning the extreme beliefs pro and con are set aside. The essence of the discussion lies in efforts to modify moslem beliefs to make them seem compatible to non-moslems. The definition of words used by moslems to describe their belief system may not be what the typical non-moslem first think of. For example; and this is my own opinion; the idea islam is the religion of peace; at first reading sounds very close to christianity; judaism and other religions. However; the peace described is for mmoslems when they have either killed; subordinated or converted the non-moslem world. It has nothing I can find in the koran; to do with living peacefully with non-moslem neighbors. This is why this topic volatile but more than ever needs full; free and open discission.