ABSTRACT
Law is a central component of Islam, so it is not surprising that contemporary Muslims' attempts to come to terms with human rights should center on legal issues. In contrast, many Muslim countries have entered reservations to provisions in human rights conventions guaranteeing, for instance, women's equality or freedom of religion on the grounds that these conflict with Islamic law. The Islamic rules embodied in the positive laws and court rulings of various Muslim countries can fly in the face of international human rights law. Muslims are conducting their struggles to define where Islam stands on human rights after the establishment of international human rights law in numerous conventions and declarations produced under UN auspices since World War II. There are reasons for saying that Iran's dismal post-revolutionary human rights record should be seen as a reflection of political choices rather than as a consequence of a commitment to implement Islamic law.
