The purpose of this article is to study the challenge...

The purpose of this article is to study the challenge between the international standards of women’s rights and the beliefs and values of the Islamic societies. This challenge reveals itself in conformity with the provision of the Convention. Besides, this basic question remains: can women’s rights be universal? To what degree are the internationally known standards of the convention binding for societies with different traditions and value systems?

What is the cultural legitimacy of the international means of women’s rights? Of course, these questions can be discussed within the broader topic of universality or relativity of human rights values, which demands a lengthy discussion. In order to study the cases noted above, a brief glance will be cast at the Convention. Then, in the second part, the term reservation is generally defined and reservations of Islamic countries discussed.

The fundamental challenge between Islamic views and the international standards of women’s rights shall be the next issue discussed and at the end, the cultural legitimacy of woman’s rights is analysed. The article ends with a conclusion. Women’s Convention: Characteristics As discussed earlier, the United Nations has played an important role in developing international means for human rights.

Without intending to evaluate the nature and outcome of such means, we can consider the following characteristics for the attention of the United Nations Charter to the human rights:[^6] Commitment to all human beings (at international level) Equality or indiscrimination (without discrimination of any kind due to race, sex or religion) Importance of international co-operation system in elevating human rights (Entering into treaties) Women’s Convention can be considered a means to achieve the point noted above.

This Convention consists of thirty articles. The core of the convention is to condemn discrimination as the main root of sex inequality, which demands equal rights, equal standards and equal treatment of women in the societies.