Table of Contents

Part I. From Human Rights to Human Dignity 1. An Integrated Approach to Human Rights 2. Development and Democracy in Asia 3. Transforming Rights: Five Challenges for the Asia-Pacific 4. Judging Asia: Assessing Human Rights Credibility 5. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 6. Rethinking Human Rights: A Philsophical Debate Part II. The Essence of Religion 7. A Spiritual Vision of the Human Being 8. A Worldview for Environmental Salvation 9. The Soviet Union and the Denial of God 10. Religious Conflict in Asia 11. Religiosity on the Rampage: Spirituality in Slumber 12. Islam: Justice and Politics 13. Judiciary and Justice 14. Islamic Movements and Social Change 15. Islamisation of State and Society 16. Reflections on the Shariah 17. Hudud: Central to Islam? 18. Iqbal and the Challenge of Reform Part III. The Challenge of Reform 19. The Welfare State: The Quest for an Alternative 20. The Economic Crisis 21. Establishing a Fully Moral and Ethical Society 22. Civil Society in Malaysia 23. Accomodaiton and Acceptance of Non-Muslim Communities 24. Islam and Confucianism: Ethnic Relations in Malaysia 25. A Concluding Thought: the Remembrance of God

About the Author

Dr. Chandra Muzaffar is one of Asia's leading public intellectuals, and has written widely on politics, human rights and religion. A former university don, he has been a social activist for 30 years and is President of the International Movement for a Just World.

Reviews

'These essays brilliantly support a global call for human rights from an Asian and Islamic perspective. No one is more eloquent, distinctive and illuminating on these crucial issues than Chandra Muzaffar' - Richard Falk, Professor of International Law, Princeton University; 'Chandra Muzaffar has become one of the great voices for social justice and human rights reverberating from Asia. Muzaffar combines a passion for fair play with clarity of spiritual vision. In this book his ethical concerns interplay with policy preferences in the context of moral universalism and global reform. He is eloquent and compelling' - Ali A. Mazrui, Director of Global Cultural Studies, State University of New York; 'Chandra Muzaffar is one of the most influential and admired intellectuals in the Islamic world. His message, articulated by exemplary action as well as the power of the pen, is a source of inspiration for those concerned about the future of democracy and the development of a culture of peace for the global community.' - Tu Weiming, Professor of Chinese History and Philosophy, Harvard University, USA; 'How can the global community be infused with the same ethical responsibility capable of subduing the brute struggle for power and profit? Chandra Muzaffar addresses precisely this question, and does so in an eloquent and inspiring manner.' - Fred Dallmayr, Professor of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, USA 'Rich in detail and insight, this book promises to make an enduring contribution to a debate that will substantially shape our common future.' - Joseph Camilleri, Professor of International Relations, La Trobe University, Australia