I Book Review: Religious Pluralism and Human Rights in Europe: Where to Draw the Line?
| DOI | 10.1177/016934410802600213 |
| Date | 01 June 2008 |
| Published date | 01 June 2008 |
| Subject Matter | Part D: DocumentationI Book Review |
Documentation
294 Intersentia
A Rights-Based Approach
Touzenis ends her book with a plea for a rights-based (instead of needs-based) approach
to address the problems of unaccompanied minors. A child should be considered as
a rights subject in stead of an object. is requires empowerment of the child and a
holistic vision of children’s rights together with an understanding of the mix of causes
that prevents children from enjoying their rights (pp. 261–262). ‘Respect for children’s
rights is not a n option. It is an obligation’, states Touzenis rmly. e rights based
approach in developmental cooperation as wel l may give an opening to tac kle some
of t he root caus es of ma ss displacement ‘because it can help creating a sustai nable
situation in wh ich the option of immig rating is less tempting’ (p. 26 4). e reader of
this book wi ll look forward to Touzenis next book, which wi ll hopefully elaborate on
the ways to reach a world in wh ich children’s rights are indeed the basis of m igration
policies all over the world.
M.L.P. Loenen a nd J.E. Goldschm idt (eds), Re ligious Pluralism and Human Rights
in Europe: Where to Draw the Line?, Intersentia, Antwerpen/Oxford, 2007, xii + 336
pp., ISBN: 978–90–5095– 642–0*
‘How should we deal with religious pluralism in contemporary Europe from a human
rights perspective a nd where should we draw the line, i f any?’ is is the opening
question of a very readable book, the fruit of an expert seminar held in 2006 at Utrecht
University in connection with the i naugural address of Abdullahi An-Na’im, who
occupied the G.J. Wiarda Chair at the Net herlands Ins titute of Human Rights in
2005–2006.
e seminar gathered a large number of experts, who, as mapped out i n Titia
Loenen’s introduction to the book, de al with one or several of the followi ng areas:
Citizenship: European Muslims (contributions by Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im and
Shaheen Sa rdar Ali); Reli gious pluralism and the Europe an Convention on Human
Rights (Javid Gadirov and Heiner Bielefeldt); (Non)selectivity in t he treat ment of
dierent rel igions (Sophie va n Bijsterveld a nd Marco Ventura); Accom modation of
religion a nd its l imits (Hege Sk jeie, Aart Hendriks, Ha ns Werdmölder, Matthijs de
Blois, Javaid Rehman, Peter Cumper and Marjolein van den Bri nk); Religion vers us
culture (Ki rsten Ketscher and Bas de G aay Fortman); Religion and freedom of
expression (Ian Leigh, Ja n-Peter Loof, Chr isje Brants and Eric Heinze). A concluding
chapter is written by the t wo editors.
It should be noted, rst, that t he book is principally concerned with religious
plural ism vis-à-vis Muslims and Islam in Europe. Second, that a lthough the bo ok is
* Eva Maria Lassen, Senior Rese archer, Department Director, the Danish Inst itute for Human Rights,
Copenhagen, De nmark.
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