Human Rights and Religion: Islam in Perspective

Abstract

Though human rights exist in every religion as a concept, contemporary human rights movements blame religions for their resistance. Meanwhile, religious narratives are needed to ground normative foundations of human rights. Islam is one of the religions that give a prominent place for human rights. It recognized the dignity and the sanctity of human life long before the modern human rights movements were incepted. However, there are still confusion and misconceptions regarding the place of human rights in Islam. Therefore, the primary purpose of this paper is to show how human rights are intrinsic values of Islam and to clarify existing confusions and misconceptions. Henceforth, the paper highlighted the relationship between human rights and religion; the debates, misconceptions, and confusions surrounding human rights in Islam; and examples of fundamental rights in Islam.

Keywords

• human rights
• religion
• the west
• islam
• sharia
• insan hakları
• din
• batı
• i̇slam
• şeriat