The International Human Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief: Referring to Foucault to Achieve the Descriptive Moment

Journal Title: The Journal of Human Rights - Year 2019, Vol 13, Issue 2

Abstract

Recognising the inherent problems associated with the international human right to freedom of religion or belief, this article proposes an alternative approach to the right. One can begin to address the right by clarifying the importance of knowledge and the role that it plays when combined with power. Adopting notions proposed by M. Foucault provides the groundwork for a transgressive interpretation of religion or beliefs such as to account for assertions of a religion or a belief as part of the ongoing social discourse. Manifestations of a religion or belief need not be understood as a struggle between the individual and state, but rather within a broader framework. Consideration could be made of additional factors towards understanding a belief, including the assertions of a believer, without necessarily weighing the merits of the belief.

Authors and Affiliations

Leonard Hammer

Keywords

Related Articles

The Authenticity Issue in the Interpretation of Human Rights:Critical Review of Mohammed Ghazali's Islamic View on UDHR

The contemporary debates, among religious thinkers, over the relationship between religion and politics necessarily involve the relationship between right and obligation. Mohammed Ghazali is among those thinkers who beli...

The Relationship between Justice, Democracy and Peace in Plato’s Republic

Without doubt, Plato’s Republic is one of the most influential works in the history of philosophy, specially, in philosophy of politics. Although we find all branches of philosophical studies –from ontology and epistemol...

Preventive Measures Taken by Islam to Avoid Bloodshed and War with Non-Muslims

It is important to prevent bloodshed and war to the extent that it is proper to pay maximum attention to prevention of conflict in comparison with trying to extinguish the flames of war. Although trying to achieve reconc...

Child Poverty: Concepts and Measurement

This paper presents and discusses different concepts of child poverty, alternative definitions of children living in poverty, and measurement efforts in this regard. It addresses such questions as: who are the children l...

What the European Union is and is not in terms of Women’s Human Rights?

The European Union sees gender equality as a necessity towards an inclusive democracy and aims at promoting the participation and representation of both men and women within the economy, in decision-making and in social,...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP478951
  • DOI 10.22096/HR.2019.105279.1101
  • Views 134
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Leonard Hammer (2019). The International Human Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief: Referring to Foucault to Achieve the Descriptive Moment. The Journal of Human Rights, 13(2), 113-140. https://www.europub.co.uk/articles/-A-478951