Tag Archives: religious freedom

IfI Press Release on the UN Resolution Against the Defamation of Religions

Bonn (February 22, 2010) – Islamic forces in the UN Human Rights Commission emphatically support a definition of human rights according to the Islamic understanding of that concept. Prof. Christine Schirrmacher from the Institute of Islamic Studies draws attention to this fact on the occasion of the recently renewed UN resolution against the defamation of religions.

(Deutsch) Eine vom Islam zum Christentum konvertierte Frau berichtet von den lebensbedrohlichen Konsequenzen ihres Glaubenswechsels

(Deutsch) (Institut für Islamfragen, dh, 20.07.2009) Verstoßung und körperliche Misshandlungen waren die Folge ihrer Entscheidung

(Deutsch) Verlängerung der Haft: Eine zum Christentum konvertierte Muslima bleibt gefangen

(Deutsch) (Institut für Islamfragen, dh, 05.02.2009) Folter und Demütigungen sind Begleitumstände der Haft

Defection from Islam: A Disturbing Human Rights Dilemma

The discussion of human rights flares up when Muslims in an Islamic country convert to Christianity and are threatened with death, as happened a few years ago in Afghanistan and as happens from time to time in other Muslim countries. In the West we immediately regard this as an attack on human rights and a restriction of the freedom of religion, but, in fact, almost all of the Islamic countries signed the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, and they regard their actions as consistent with their understanding of human rights. Obviously we face a huge divergence of opinions on the nature of human rights and what it means to protect them, but what is the source of such fundamentally different ways of thinking?

The Challenge of Islam: Are we equipped?

It would almost seem as though many people in Germany have only started taking notice of Islam since the terrorist attacks of September 11 shook the world. “Terrorism” and “The West” were, in the minds of many people, two separate worlds. Terrorism only happened in far – away countries, like Africa, Algeria, or the Middle – East. Since the aircraft attacks of “Nine-eleven”, and succesive terrorist attacks, often prevented in Europe by the security services, but succeeding in other parts of the world, this perception is changing. The awareness of the existence of Muslim extremism, and it’s potential threat, has increased.