Islam, Human Rights, and Confluence Theory

Описание: A Discussion with Prof. Sadegh Haghighat on "Islam, Human Rights, and Confluence Theory"
Muslim Scholars' Perspective on Human Rights

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In this episode, we will discuss the topic of human rights, Islam, and confluence theory. We will ask Prof. Haghighat, how different perspectives, such as liberalism, communitarianism, and Islam, view human rights and whether Islamic principles are compatible with human rights principles? What is the difference between liberalism and communitarianism?


• About the Speaker:
Prof. Seyed Sadegh Haghighat is a political scientist and a scholar of Shiite jurisprudence. He has a Ph.D. in political thought from TM University in Tehran and has studied at the Islamic Seminaries for 23 years. He has written 18 books, and some of his books have been translated into English and Arabic. He is interested in researching Islamic political thought, the methods of political science, the Iranian Revolution, and political Islam. He is currently a faculty member of the Department of Political Science at Mofid University in Qom.
You can find his articles and most full texts of his books at http://www.s-haghighat.ir.


• Highlights:
According to liberalism, every person enjoys rights according to themselves. These rights are considered universal human rights because they are not derived from tradition, morality, or other factors. However, in the communitarian idea of human rights, it is believed that these rights can be enriched by tradition, culture, and morality.

In liberalism, the self of every individual is considered equal and separate from their religious or cultural background. For instance, liberal countries can coexist with communist or Muslim countries. Liberals argue that the self of individuals can be abstracted from their religious beliefs or secularism.

The difference between liberalism and communitarianism is exemplified in John Rawls' Theory of Justice and Michael Sandel's Critique of Liberalism. According to Rawls, rights including human rights are universal and do not differ between countries or traditions. On the other hand, Sandel, a communitarian philosopher, criticizes Rawls by asserting that justice is rooted in tradition, culture, and religion. In an interview I conducted with Sandel, he surprised me by stating that as a Muslim individual one can have their own sense of justice based on the Quran and traditions (Sunnah). Personally, I believe in the critiques of communitarianism on liberalism.

In my theory, Confluence Theory, I aim to explain the principles of justice based on Islam, specifically drawing from the Quran and narrations. Confluence Theory refers to the merging of political philosophy and political fiqh or jurisprudence. In matters concerning human rights or justice, both aspects are essential. I believe that two types of reasoning are required: textual and meta-textual. By textual reasoning, I refer to scriptural sources such as the Quran and Sunnah. On the other hand, meta-textual reasoning involves philosophical analysis. Both forms of reasoning are indispensable, and their interaction is crucial.