Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam: Difference between revisions

The need for this declaration arose due to the unavoidable conflict between Islamic and non-Islamic notions of human rights. In 1981 the Iranian representative to the United Nations declared that "the Universal Declaration of Human Rights represented a secular interpretation of the Judeo-Christian tradition, which could not be implemented by Muslims."<ref>[http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ODkzM2Q2NGE5ODQzZWI2Y2QyMzhlYjA4NWRlOWYzMzE= Human Rights and Human Wrongs] - David G. Littman - National Review, January 19, 2003</ref> Similar views were expressed by other countries such as Sudan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, leading to to this alternative declaration being adopted by 45 member states of the OIC. Nevertheless, this declaration has been severely criticized by many, including; the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), the Association for World Education (AWE) and the Association of World Citizens (AWC) for its incompatibility with human rights, women's rights, religious freedom and freedom of expression, by "imposing restrictions on nearly every human right based on Islamic Sharia law."<ref>[http://www.iheu.org/node/3162 The Cairo Declaration and the Universality of Human Rights] - International Humanist and Ethical Union, May 28, 2008</ref> Furthermore, according to the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ):