This article aims to decolonize the discourse of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through the lens of Critical Muslim Studies, arguing that such systems of “international norms” are Eurocentric in character and hegemonic in practice. I argue that the promotion of a Western system of human rights as universal works through the two pillars of Orientalism and Eurocentrism, focusing particularly on the discourse of American exceptionalism as a distinct American form of Eurocentrism. Such a critique is a necessary first step for creating the grounds for alternative human rights orders, such as the notion of Islamic human rights. To be successful, any alternative Islamic system for alleviating human oppression and suffering should first dismantle the hegemonic grip of Orientalism and Eurocentrism on human rights.
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