ABSTRACT
This volume shows how and why legal empowerment is important for those exercising their religious rights under various jurisdictions, in conditions of legal pluralism. At the same time, it also questions the thesis that as societies become more modern, they also become less religious.
The authors look beyond the rule of law orthodoxy in their consideration of the freedom of religion as a human right and place this discussion in a more plurality-sensitive context. The book sheds more light on the informal and/or customary mechanisms that explain the limited impact of law on individuals and groups, especially in non-Western societies. The focus is on discussing how religion and the exercise of religious rights may or may not empower individuals and social groups and improve access to human rights in general.
This book is important reading for academics and practitioners of law and religion, religious rights, religious diversity and cultural difference, as well as NGOs, policy makers, lawyers and advocates at multicultural jurisdictions. It offers a contemporary take on comparative legal studies, with a distinct focus on religion as an identity marker.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|128 pages
Religion AS law
chapter 2|32 pages
Islām as legal (dis-)empowerment
chapter 4|28 pages
Decoding diversity*
chapter 5|21 pages
When courts do not finish contentious causes
chapter 6|20 pages
Sharīʻa deconstructed
part II|169 pages
Religion IN law