Description
Book SynopsisClemens N. Nathan has devoted a lifetime to the pursuit of Human Rights – to understanding and reflecting upon the concept of Human Rights; to participating in, and sometimes helping to create, organisations and mechanisms for the protection and promotion of Human Rights; to helping those who have been denied their Human Rights and to encouraging and supporting research into and scholarship on Human Rights. All this has been achieved by a man who has had no formal training in the field, but who has become a recognised expert through his extensive reading, through working with leading exponents, and by drawing upon his lively intellect, his wealth of culture and his knowledge of history, philosophy and religions. This volume, published under the auspices of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, offers insight into the challenging relationship between religion and human rights.
Trade Review"Drawing on his own personal experience of persecution, Clemens Nathan has produced a wide-ranging and fascinating treatment of the relation of human rights and religion today, which makes a welcome contribution to current debates.” The Rev Prof Richard A. Burridge FKC, Dean of King’s College London & Professor of Biblical Interpretation. “Clemens Nathan weaves together a fascinating, personal and profound reflection on the relationship between religion and human rights. Anyone interested in the role religion plays in society today will benefit from reading this book.” Dr Edward Kessler, Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths, Cambridge, UK. “This is a remarkable study from someone who both understands the theory of human rights discourse and at the same time has lived within many of the practical debates. It is informed, rich, and powerful. I recommend it highly.” Rev Prof Ian Markham, Professor of Theology and Ethics and Dean of Hartford Seminary, USA.
Table of ContentsForeword; Table of Contents; Preface; Acknowledgements; 1 Introduction; 2 Human Rights: Origins and Definitions; 3 The Scope of Religion: Some Contemporary Views; 4 Delineating the Interplay between Rights and Religion 5 The Impact of Religious Symbolism in Europe: Wearing the Hijab and Burqha; 6 The Decline of Capital Punishment; 7 Religion for Rights: The Success of Establishing Rights through Religion; 8 Conclusion; 9 Appendices; An Autobiographical Sketch; Index.
