al-Islam wa Huquq al-Insan fi Daw al-Mutaghayyirat al-Alamiyya

al-Islam wa Huquq al-Insan fi Daw al-Mutaghayyirat al-Alamiyya (Islam and Human Rights in Light of Global Variables) is a contemporary treatise on Islamic jurisprudence and human rights by the Tunisian scholar and Grand Mufti Kamal al-Din Juayt (d. 1434 AH / 2012 CE) Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…. The work examines the concept of human rights from an Islamic legal perspective amid modern global shifts, addressing international charters, cultural particularity, and social ethics Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…+1.

Background and Core Themes

The work analyzes the evolution of human rights discourse, observing that while modern interest in these principles originated among European philosophers and political thinkers in the seventeenth century, international mechanisms only emerged with the establishment of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…+1. Juayt notes that the discourse intensified during the Cold War and subsequently evolved into an instrument utilized by major powers to exercise political, economic, and cultural dominance under the framework of globalization Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…+1.

In addressing the debate between universality (kawniyya) and cultural specificity (khususiyya), the author cautions against politicized and ideological rhetoric that ignores cultural, religious, and historical specificities, questioning how local cultures and historical identities can maintain their integrity in an increasingly integrated global order al-Islam wa Huquq al-Insa…+1. Juayt contends that Islam elevated human rights to the level of binding religious obligations anchored in divine revelation rather than purely human conventions, citing the Quranic affirmation of inherent human dignity: وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آَدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا ("And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created in marked preference") Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…+1.

Structure and Content

The treatise is organized into five main sections Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…:

1. Preamble (Tawti'a): Establishes the theological foundation of human dignity in Islamic law Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al….
2. Historical Introduction (Madkhal Tarikhi): Surveys the development of human rights from seventeenth-century philosophy to international declarations and modern geopolitical dynamics Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…+1.
3. Human Rights between Particularity and Universality (Huquq al-Insan bayna al-Khususiyya wa-l-Kawniyya): Critiques absolute universalist claims and assesses the preservation of identity against globalizing pressures Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…+1.
4. Islam and Human Rights (al-Islam wa Huquq al-Insan): The core substantive section, divided into three categories Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…:
   • Basic Rights: Encompassing the right to life, freedom (including freedom of conscience and freedom of expression within the bounds of communal welfare), and equality and justice before the law Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…+2.
   • Social Rights: Emphasizing the family unit as the foundational pillar of society, women's rights (such as equality in human dignity, education, labor, and public participation), children's rights, and elder care Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…+2.
   • Environmental Rights: Highlighting the right to a healthy, balanced, and sustainable natural environment Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…+1.
5. Conclusion (Khatima): Summarizes the compatibility of Islamic principles with genuine human advancement and synthesizes the findings Majallat Majma al-Fiqh al…+1.