International Human Rights and Islamic Law by Mashood A. Baderin (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. 279 pages.)

Abstract

Mashood Baderin’s International Human Rights and Islamic Law is a monumental
contribution to an area that needs more scholarly contributions
from intellectuals and scholars of Islamic law. Currently, there is a paucity
of perspectives on this issue from the standpoint of the Shari`ah. Besides
enlightening readers to the Shari`ah’s sources, nuances, intricacies, and
dynamism, Baderin demolishes the myth of a clash of perspectives between
the West and the Shari`ah. The reader comes away more knowledgeable
about the mechanics of Islamic law and is able to glean that Islamic law is
far more progressive, humane, and dynamic than the perception constructed
by the neo-Orientalists.
This book will be very illuminating for students, administrators, and
judicial personnel not only from the western world, but also for those in the
Islamic world. Besides being knowledgeable in Islamic law, scripture, and
Hadith, Baderin shows a remarkable grasp and understanding of international
human rights law. Each chapter is very comprehensive and informative
from the secular and religious perspectives. After delineating the discourse,
he describes and then defuses the apparent incompatibility between ...