It is not uncommon to place universal human rights and Sharia against each other and assumethey are inherently different. However, this essay explores the alignment of Sharia anduniversal human rights, with a focus on Saudi Arabia and Iran which are governed by Sharia.A literature review is utilized when examining the theories and thoughts of scholars AbdullahiAhmed An-Na'im and Asma Barlas. These theories are then placed on the context of Sharia inSaudi Arabia and Iran, and the alignment and misalignment with universal human rights willbe examined.The theoretical framework of the essay is based on universalism and open universalism thathave worked as tools in understanding human rights as a universal foundation. The findingsindicate that the compatibility of Sharia with universal human rights standards is heavilydependent on how Sharia is interpreted. To better extract human rights out of Sharia, areinterpretation of Sharia is necessary. This reinterpretation would allow for the reevaluationof the Qur’anic scriptures that are consistent with the values and demands of the present age.This is not to say that Sharia needs to be bended and chipped away at to fit in with modernhuman rights standards, rather Sharia needs to be reinterpreted as the traditionalinterpretations are heavily influenced by the patriarchal social structures of the seventhcentury.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-529785 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Barwari, Delal |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Centrum för mångvetenskaplig forskning om religion och samhälle (CRS) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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