The Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (CDHRI) turned 30 – Mathias Rohe’s evaluation
On August 5 the websites kath.ch and Domradio.de released an article, in which the law professor, Islamic scientist and founding rector of the EZIRE, Mathias Rohe, evaluated the importance of the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (CDHRI), which was adopted 30 years ago, on August 5 1990 by back then 45 member states of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
Rohe suggests, no to overstate the declaration, since it was not binding under international law. Rather it was seen as a “symbolic document”, a traditionalist-islamist response to the political dominance of the West. The Sharia caveat, which is anchored in the declaration, was in light of the diversity of Islamic finding of justice so much vague, that the declaration in practice did not possess any significance. “To put it bold: on the basis of Sharia reasoning it is possible to defend human rights as well as to trample on them”, states Rohe. However, the declaration could help, when even the most minimal rights guaranteed by Sharia were disregarded.