Ahmed E. Souaiaia is a member of the faculty with joint appointment in International Studies, Religious Studies, History, and at the College of Law at the University of Iowa, USA. He is the author of several books including Anatomy of Dissent in Islamic Societies: Ibadism, Rebellion and Legitimacy (2013) and Contesting Justice: Women, Islam, Law, and Society (2008). He has published articles in refereed journals and essays in national and international media outlets. He has received a number of other awards including the Presidential Faculty Fellowship, Dean’s Scholar Award, and the Provost’s Global Forum Award.

• 1 Introduction: Universalizing the Study of the Universal Human Rights through Systems Thinking Part I Human Rights as a Discourse 2 What We Now Know: Human Rights and Post-Enlightenment Thought 3 Islamic Reaction to Western Enlightenment Part II Human Rights in History 4 European Enlightenment, Racism, and Human Rights 5 Islam, Supremacy, Sectarianism, and Human Rights Part III Globalism, History, and Human Rights Today 6 The Case of the 2011 Wars in SWANA 7 Actual and Instrumentalized Human Rights 8 Conclusions: Human Rights, Civil Society, and the State

Ahmed E. Souaiaia is a member of the faculty with joint appointment in International Studies, Religious Studies, History, and at the College of Law at the University of Iowa, USA. He is the author of several books including Anatomy of Dissent in Islamic Societies: Ibadism, Rebellion and Legitimacy (2013) and Contesting Justice: Women, Islam, Law, and Society (2008). He has published articles in refereed journals and essays in national and international media outlets. He has received a number of other awards including the Presidential Faculty Fellowship, Dean’s Scholar Award, and the Provost’s Global Forum Award.

• 1 Introduction: Universalizing the Study of the Universal Human Rights through Systems Thinking Part I Human Rights as a Discourse 2 What We Now Know: Human Rights and Post-Enlightenment Thought 3 Islamic Reaction to Western Enlightenment Part II Human Rights in History 4 European Enlightenment, Racism, and Human Rights 5 Islam, Supremacy, Sectarianism, and Human Rights Part III Globalism, History, and Human Rights Today 6 The Case of the 2011 Wars in SWANA 7 Actual and Instrumentalized Human Rights 8 Conclusions: Human Rights, Civil Society, and the State