Comparative Law: Islam & Human Rights

As is well known, the relationship between International Human Rights law (and the various international bodies responsible for the operation of that law) and what might broadly be called orthodox Shari a law is a troubled one. In particular there can be a judgement that particular states whose public moralities derive from or are explicitly connected to Shari a law are, as a result, not compliant with Human Rights law and that this represents a universal moral judgement against them.

In this course, we consider the nature of this relationship both generally and in two specific contexts. And accordingly, the course is constructed in three sections:

Section 1: Islam, Human Rights and the Clash of Unprovable Universalisms; Section 2: Blasphemy, Defamation of Religion and Free Speech; Section 3: Women s Rights and the Veiling Controversy

This course is only open to graduate students.