Much has been written about the issue of religious freedom and church-state relations. The contributors to this book, however, take up another side of the question: what has been the impact of religion on human rights. Representatives from various religious traditions address a broad range of topics, from environmental rights to the basic validation of human rights, to the rights of women in India and Iran and within Orthodox Judaism, to the global imposition of criminal justice, to pressures for democratization within the Catholic Church in Latin America. The six major essays, along with their accompanying "replies" answer questions and raise issues in a provocative and compelling debate.

Much has been written of about the issue religious freedom and church-state relations. This book, however, takes up another side of the question: what has been the impact of religion on human rights, and in particular on women's human rights and development? Representatives from various religious traditions address questions such as: the theological venus the secular validation of human rights; reconciling Islamic feminism with the religion of Islam; harmonizing confessional with liberationist directions within the Catholic Church; establishing inter-religious dialogue amidst the clamor of politicized Hindu-Moslem communal hostility; a human-centered vs a nature-centered environmentalism. Contributors explore different of these questions in a provocative and compelling debate.