Toward An Islamic Reformation: Civil Liberties, Human Rights, And International Law

After the revolutionary events in Iran and the fundamentalist revival in many parts of the Islamic world, few would maintain that a juridical and philosophical treatise on Islamic law has little relevance to world politics and international relations. A Sudanese scholar and jurist, An-Na'im seeks a reinterpretation of the traditional law that, by eschewing secularism and fundamentalism, would reconcile it with both the demands of modern life and with international law, including self-determination and human rights. The message could have great political importance but, as the author says, the task "is enormous and exceedingly delicate."