Includes bibliographical references (p. 229-278) and index.

Comparisons of rights across cultures : background issues -- Human rights in international law and legal systems in Muslim countries : sources and contexts -- Islamic tradition and Muslim reactions to human rights -- Islamic restrictions on human rights -- Discrimination against women and non-Muslims -- Restrictions on the rights and freedoms of women -- Islamic human rights schemes and religious minorities -- Freedom of religion in Islamic human rights schemes -- An assessment of Islamic human rights schemes -- Appendix A: Excerpts from the Iranian Constitution -- Appendix B: The Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam -- Glossary.

"In this revised and updated edition, Ann Elizabeth Mayer critically assesses various human rights schemes that employ Islamic formulas to dilute or eliminate the protections afforded by international human rights law. She discusses how these schemes reflect current debates in Muslim societies about how the Islamic legal heritage relates to international human rights law. Challenging stereotypes about a supposedly monolithic Islam inherently incompatible with human rights, Mayer discusses the political motives behind the selective use of elements of the Islamic tradition by conservative groups who oppose Muslim's aspirations to enjoy human rights." --Book Jacket.