Includes bibliographical references and index.

Framing the human rights discourse : the role of natural localism and the power of paradigm / Lawrence Davidson -- Islam and human rights : ideals and practices / Manochehr Dorraj -- Human rights through the lens of legal thought / Halim Rane -- Islamophobia, defamation of religions, and international human rights / Turan Kayaoğlu -- Human rights and the Kurdish question in the Middle East / Nader Entessar -- The Janus nature of human rights in Iran : understanding progress and setbacks on human rights protections since the revolution / Barbara Ann Rieffer-Flanagan -- From omission to reluctant recognition : political parties' approach to women's rights in Turkey / Zehra F.Kabasakal Arat -- Minorities and marginalized communities in the Middle East : the case for inclusion / Mahmood Monshipouri and Jonathon Whooley -- Lessons from movements for rights regarding sexual orientation in the Arab world / Anthony Tirado Chase -- A prospect of democratic uprisings in the Arab world / Bahey eldin Hassan -- Counterterrorism, nation-building, and human rights in the Middle East : complementary or competing interests? / Mahmood Monshipouri and Shadi Mokhtari -- Migrant workers and their rights in the United Arab Emirates / Mahmood Monshipouri and Ali Assareh -- Health and human rights in Palestine : the siege and invasion of Gaza and the role of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement / Jess Ghannam.

"Exploring the most formidable human rights challenges facing the Middle East- the rights of women, minorities, migrant workers, and those of various sexual orientations, and the rights of all people to engage in civil disobedience- this volume addresses the extent to which dynamics in surrounding human rights conditions in the region conform to or diverge from such dynamics in other parts of the world. Offering wide-ranging and rich analyses, the contributors to this volume argue that for human rights to be effectively enforced, they must be locally justified and achieved. The 2011 Arab revolts demonstrate that the people of the region can shape the condition of human rights in their societies." -- Back Cover.