We cannot understand human rights without understanding tradition. But we also cannot understand tradition without recognizing human rights as a key component of a living civilization. In The Nature of Civilizations, Matthew Melko writes that Islam is one of five living civilizations, alongside the Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Western Civilizations. We have neither time nor space here to dwell on the substantial meaning of the Islamic tradition (Sunnah), but we see it appropriate to say that the Holy Quran has condemned slavish imitation of the past to be against the free spirit and sound mind:
Back to top