Justice and Rights

Justice and Rights is a record of the fifth "Building Bridges" seminar held in Washington, DC in 2006 (an annual symposium on Muslim-Christian relations cosponsored by Georgetown University and the Church of England). This volume examines justice and rights from Christian and Muslim perspectives—a topic of immense relevance for both faiths in the modern world, but also with deep roots in the core texts of both traditions.

Leading scholars examine three topics: scriptural foundations, featuring analyses of Christian and Muslim sacred texts; evolving traditions, exploring historical issues in both faiths with an emphasis on religious and political authority; and the modern world, analyzing recent and contemporary contributions from Christianity and Islam in the area of freedom and human rights.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Christian and Muslim Perspectives
Michael Ipgrave

Part I Scriptural Foundations

1. The Ruler and the Ruled in Islam: A Brief Analysis of the Sources
Mohammad Hashim Kamali

2. Biblical Perspectives on Divine Justice and Political Authority
Ellen Davis

3. Scriptural Texts
3.1 Two Psalms
Ellen Davis
3.2 Twelve Verses from the Qur’ān
Mustansir Mir
3.3 Two New Testament Texts
Michael Ipgrave
3.4 Seven aḥādīth
Timothy J. Winter
Notes

Part II Evolving Traditions

4. Religious Orthodoxy and Religious Rights in Medieval Islam: A Reality Check on the Road to Religious Toleration
Vincent J. Cornell

5. Une Foi, Une Loi, Un Roi: Political Authority and Religious Freedom in the West, from Constantine to Jefferson
John Langan

6. Traditional Texts
6.1 A Letter of St. Augustine
Rowan Williams
6.2 A Response of ibn Lubb
Vincent Cornell
6.3 A Treatise of al-Ghazālī
Vincent Cornell
6.4 A Treatise of Martin Luther
Miroslav Volf
Notes

Part III The Modern World

7. Human Rights and the Freedom of Religion
Malcolm Evans

8. Modern Texts
8.1 The Barmen Declaration
Miroslav Volf
8.2 Writings of Imam Khomeini
Seyed Amir Akrami
8.3 The Second Vatican Council on Religious Freedom
Carolyn Evans
8.4 Two Islamic Declarations on Human Rights
Fikret Karcic
Notes

Index

Reviews

"Astute commentary from philosophers, theologians, and jurists turns this stunning compilation of Muslim and Christian sources, classical and modern, into a working instrument to clarify vexed notions of justice and of rights from the comparative perspective our fractured world sorely needs."—David Burrell, Hesburgh Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Theology, University of Notre Dame

"The most critical contribution of [this volume] is its honest assessment of historical precedents of both Islamic and Christian traditions when entangled in politics that continue to thwart sincere efforts by leaders of both communities in advancing mutual respect and commitment to uphold inherency of human dignity today. Some essays will serve as essential templates for understanding the challenges that face future relationships and cooperation between the two dominant faith communities promoting basic freedoms of all human beings regardless of their color, creed, or sex."—Abdulaziz Sachedina, Francis Myers Ball Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia

Contributors

Seyed Amir AkramiVincent J. CornellEllen F. DavisCarolyn EvansMalcolm Evans Michael IpgraveMohammad Hashim KamaliFikret KarcicJohn LanganMustansir MirMiroslav VolfRowan WilliamsTimothy J. Winter

Supplemental Materials

Awards

About the Author

The Venerable Dr. Michael Ipgrave is the Archdeacon of Southwark, Church of England.