Islam and human rights: Tradition and politics

Do Islam and Islamic law constitute real obstacles to human rights? In this revised and updated edition, the author offers critical assessments of recent Islamic human rights schemes that dilute or eliminate the human rights protections afforded by international law. She compares these both with the Islamic legal heritage, where they have no exact counterparts, and to international human rights law, highlighting where the Islamic and international provisions diverge. Mayer examines how Islamic approaches to rights correlate with actual patterns of rights violations in contemporary countries and explores the views of Muslims who believe Islam is fully compatible with human rights. Contesting stereotypes about a supposedly monolithic Islam inherently incompatible with human rights, Mayer dissects the political motives behind the selective use of elements of the Islamic tradition by conservative groups opposed to democracy and human rights. This edition considers developments in human rights law and policy since 1990, including provisions in the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, issued by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and the 1992 Basic Law of Saudi Arabia.