Date: 13/03/2010

Venue: Carrs Lane Church

Click here to watch the Conference Online

In the present day, the discussion on Islam and Human Rights is undoubtedly of great importance. A number of Muslim and non-Muslim scholars and politicians have alleged that certain aspects of the traditional understanding of Islam are in contravention with the basic notion of human rights. In accordance with this view, the lack of compatibility between Islam and human rights has consequently resulted in a number of Muslim states violating the Universal Human Rights doctrine, which was officially recognised in the year 1948.

Nonetheless, it has been found that critics of the modern discourse on human rights propose that the Eurocentric values of the west have played a key role in the formation of these universal human rights, which has significantly impacted their level of compatibility with other cultures. Thus, the universality of these prescribed human rights across different cultures and traditions, including the Islamic tradition, has been questioned.

In order to consider this important current issue, the Al-Mahdi Institute organised a conference on Saturday 13 March 2010. The conference was entitled Islam and Human Rights, and was held at the Carrs Lane Church Centre in Birmingham, UK. The core objective of the event was to answer the much debated question of the extent to which the traditional understanding of Islam is incompatible with the modern discourse on human rights. The Al-Mahdi Institute invited three prominent speakers from different backgrounds, who discussed key topics surrounding this debate.

The first topic was presented by Dr. Steven Greer, who holds a lectureship at the University of Bristol and has recently published a book entitled The European Convention on Human Rights: Achievements, Problems and Prospects. Dr. Greer discussed the international protection of human rights in Europe and the effect that they have had on Muslims.

Click here to view his presentation (.ppt)

The second topic presented was by Dr. Dimitrina Petrova, who is the Director of the Equals Right Trust and a former advisor of the US Government. In her speech, Dr. Petrova considered the widely disputed issue of the application of international human rights in Muslim countries.

The third and the final topic was presented by Sheikh Arif Abdul Hussein, who is the director of the Al-Mahdi Institute. Shiekh Arif presented a profound discussion on the level of compatibility between Islam and the philosophy of human rights.

There was an overall attendance of 50 people at the conference, and the general feedback received was that the quality of the speakers was very good, with the concept of the conference on Islam and Human Rights being highly appreciated. Furthermore, almost every participant confirmed that they would recommend this seminar to a friend or a colleague.

The slideshows presented by the speakers, as well as photographs/video of the Islam and Human Rights conference will be uploaded on www.almahdi.edu.