Abdullah An-na'im offers a pioneering exploration of American Muslim citizenship and identity, arguing against the prevalent emphasis on majority-minority politics and instead promoting a shared citizenship that both accommodates and transcends religious identity. Many scholars and community leaders have called on American Muslims to engage with or integrate into mainstream American culture. Such calls tend to assume that there is a distinctive, monolithic, minority religious identity for American Muslims. Rejecting the closed categories that determine the minority status of a particular group and that, in turn, impede active, engaged citizenship, An-na'im draws attention to the relational nature of identity, emphasizing a common base of national membership and advancing a legal approach to a public recognition of a person's status as citizen. Rather than perceive themselves or accept being perceived by others as a monolithic minority, he argues, American Muslims should view themselves as American citizens who happen to be Muslims. As American citizens, they share a vast array of identities with other American citizens, whether ethnic, political, or socio-economic. But none of these identities qualify or limit their citizenship. An-na'im urges members of the American Muslim community to take a proactive, affirmative view of their citizenship in order to realize their rights fully and fulfill their obligations in social and cultural as well as political and legal terms. He shows that the freedom to associate with others in order to engage in civic action to advance rights and interests is integral to the underlying rationale of citizenship and not something that must be relinquished to become an American citizen. What Is an American Muslim? provides acute insight into the nature of citizenship and identity, the place of religious affiliation in American society, and what it means to share in a collective identity.

Radical Conflict addresses conflict at interpersonal and communal, legal and rhetorical, ethnopolitical, global, and geopolitical levels. The conflicts analyzed are "radical" because in each some intense and often prolonged violence takes place. The chapters address different kinds of violence(s)-physical and gratuitous, structural and socio-economic, legal and symbolic, all with significant ill effects and injustices that spiral in all directions. All share an interest in exploring imaginatively and speculatively what can be done to attenuate such cycles of violence. The volume analyzes how recurrent narratives, mythologies, media(ted) constructions and other discourse(s) of liberal democratic and authoritarian states play a significant role in exacerbating or thwarting violence, exposing, escalating, legitimizing, rationalizing, propagating, but also possibly mitigating violence in all of its forms. Each contributor provides a critical interpretation of the status of the conflict under inquiry, including: a teacher verbally abusing and ridiculing a student then exposing it in social media; a community torn apart by environmental disaster; the incommensurate but not incommensurable conflict between Israelis and Palestinians; the Muslim Brotherhood and the militarized state(s) of Egypt and Libya; urban discourses in cyberspace among Moroccan and Maghreb youth that have become counter-signifying publics against oppression of the state; the role of media and violence in Zimbabwe's political struggle; the impact of the Circassian diaspora in global politics especially in the United States; India's soft power approach to the Kashmir conflict as a way to capitalize on it through tourism; the agonistic discourses that pervade the conflict over the Sahara and deprive Sahrawi people of rights; and how the liberal state is implicated in the gratuitous violence of ISIL. The volume also offers a section on the rhetoric of exclusionary laws associated with intractable conflicts of the abortion conflict, the right to die controversy, and a Burkean perspective on violence in Bangladesh. Contributors suggest what can be done conceptually and politically to mitigate and end violations of those who are most vulnerable, banished, forgotten, damaged, and often silenced.

"This powerful volume challenges the conventional view that the concept of human rights is peculiar to the West and, therefore, inherently alien to the non-Western traditions of third world countries. This book demonstrates that there is a contextual legitimacy for the concept of human rights. Virginia A. Leary and Jack Donnelly discuss the Western cultural origins of international human rights; David Little, Bassam Tibi, and Ann Elizabeth Mayer explore Christian and Islamic perspectives on human rights; Rhoda E. Howard, Claude E. Welch, Jr., and James C. N. Paul examine human rights in the context of the African nation-state; Kwasi Wiredu, James Silk, and Francis M. Deng offer African cultural perspectives; and Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im and Richard D. Schwartz discuss prospects for a cross-cultural approach to human rights. "

In his extensive body of work, Professor Abdullahi Ahmed An-Naim challenges both historical interpretations of Islamic Sharia and neo-colonial understanding of human rights. To advance the rationale of scholarship for social change, An-Naim proposes advancing the universality of human rights through internal discourse within Islamic and African societies and cross-cultural dialogue among human cultures. This book proposes a transformation from human rights organized around a state determined practice to one that is focused on a people-centric approach that empowers individuals to decide how human rights will be understood and integrated into their communities. Decolonizing Human Rights aims to illustrate the decisive role of human agency on the subject of change, without implying that Islamic or any other society are exceptionally disposed to politically motivated violence and consequent profound political instability.

In his extensive body of work, Professor Abdullahi Ahmed An-Naim challenges both historical interpretations of Islamic Sharia and neo-colonial understanding of human rights. To advance the rationale of scholarship for social change, An-Naim proposes advancing the universality of human rights through internal discourse within Islamic and African societies and cross-cultural dialogue among human cultures. This book proposes a transformation from human rights organized around a state determined practice to one that is focused on a people-centric approach that empowers individuals to decide how human rights will be understood and integrated into their communities. Decolonizing Human Rights aims to illustrate the decisive role of human agency on the subject of change, without implying that Islamic or any other society are exceptionally disposed to politically motivated violence and consequent profound political instability.

African Constitutionalism and the Role of Islam Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im Constitutionalism is steadily becoming the prevalent form of governance in Africa. But how does constitutionalism deal with the lingering effects of colonialism? And how does constitutional law deal with Islamic principles in the region? "African Constitutionalism and the Role of Islam" seeks to answer these questions. Constitutional governance has not been, nor will be, easily achieved, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im argues. But setbacks and difficulties are to be expected in the process of adaptation and indigenization of an essentially alien concept--that of of nation-state--and its role in large-scale political and social organization. An-Na'im discusses the problems of implementing constitutionalized forms of government specific to Africa, from definitional to conceptual and practical issues. The role of Islam in these endeavors is open to challenge and reformulation, and should not be taken for granted or assumed to be necessarily negative or positive, An-Na'im asserts, and he emphasizes the role of the agency of Muslims in the process of adapting constitutionalism to the values and practices of their own societies. By examining the incremental successes that some African nations have already achieved and An-Na'im reveals the contingent role that Islam has to play in this process. Ultimately, these issues will determine the long-term sustainability of constitutionalism in Africa. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im is Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law. He is the author of "Toward an Islamic Reformation" (1990). He is also editor of several books, including "Human Rights Under African Constitutions" and "Human Rights in Cross-Cultural Perspectives," both available from the University of Pennsylvania Press. Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights 2006 216 pages 6 x 9 ISBN 978-0-8122-3962-1 Cloth $65.00s 42.50 World Rights Law, Political Science Short copy: Constitutionalism is becoming the prevalent form of governance in Africa. But how does constitutionalism deal with the lingering effects of colonialism? And how does constitutional law deal with Islamic principles in the region? "African Constitutionalism and the Role of Islam" seeks to answer these questions.

Human Rights Under African Constitutions Realizing the Promise for Ourselves Edited by Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im "The contributors maintain that a well-informed citizenry is the most powerful (and likely only) force for creating the political will necessary to effect change at the national level. There is no sitting on the fence. . . . The fundamental belief here is that human rights will only be realized once the African people claim their rights, make them their own, and demand their respect."--"Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights" Some of the most massive and persistent violations of human rights occur in African nations. In "Human Rights Under African Constitutions: Realizing the Promise for Ourselves," scholars from a wide range of fields present a sober, systematic assessment of the prospects for legal protection of human rights in Africa. In a series of detailed and highly contextual studies of Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, and Uganda, experts seek to balance the socioeconomic and political diversity of these nations while using the same theoretical framework of legal analysis for each case study. Standards for human rights protection can be realized only through direct and strong support from a nation's legal and political institutions. The contributors to this volume uniformly conclude that a well-informed and motivated citizenry is the most powerful force for creating the political will necessary to effect change at the national level. In addition to a critical evaluation of the current state of human rights protection in each of these African nations, the contributors outline existing national resources available for protecting human rights and provide recommendations for more effective and practical use of these resources. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im is Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law at Emory University and the editor of "Human Rights in Cross-Cultural Perspectives: A Quest for Consensus," also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press. Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights 2002 448 pages 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 ISBN 978-0-8122-3677-4 Cloth $75.00s 49.00 ISBN 978-0-8122-0110-9 Ebook $75.00s 49.00 World Rights Law, Political Science Short copy: Combining theoretical rigor with solid empirical research, "Human Rights Under African Constitutions" makes an important contribution for scholars and students of political science, African studies, and postcolonial history, as well as providing a vital resource for NGOs and policymakers.

Human rights violations are perpetrated in all parts of the world, and the universal reaction to such atrocities is overwhelmingly one of horror and sadness. Yet, as Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im and his contributors attest, our viewpoint is clouded and biased by the expectations native to our own culture. How do other cultures view human rights issues? Can an analysis of these issues through multiple viewpoints, both cross-cultural and indigenous, help us reinterpret and reconstruct prevailing theories of human rights?

What should be the place of Shari a Islamic religious law in predominantly Muslim societies of the world? In this ambitious and topical book, a Muslim scholar and human rights activist envisions a positive and sustainable role for Shari a, based on a profound rethinking of the relationship between religion and the secular state in all societies.

An-Na im argues that the coercive enforcement of Shari a by the state betrays the Qur an s insistence on voluntary acceptance of Islam. Just as the state should be secure from the misuse of religious authority, Shari a should be freed from the control of the state. State policies or legislation must be based on civic reasons accessible to citizens of all religions. Showing that throughout the history of Islam, Islam and the state have normally been separate, An-Na im maintains that ideas of human rights and citizenship are more consistent with Islamic principles than with claims of a supposedly Islamic state to enforce Shari a. In fact, he suggests, the very idea of an Islamic state is based on European ideas of state and law, and not Shari a or the Islamic tradition.

Bold, pragmatic, and deeply rooted in Islamic history and theology, "Islam" and the Secular State offers a workable future for the place of Shari a in Muslim societies.

A translation from the Sudanese of Taha's major work in which he outlines the main features of his teachings. Mahmoud Mohamed Taha had long been known for his radical reinterpretation of Islam. His reputation, along with his vigorous opposition to the Islamization program, ultimately led to his demise