Ijtihad

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Professor Abdulla An-Na'im is Professor of Law at the Emory University School of Law in Atlanta.

Originally from Sudan, he was forced to leave his country under the most difficult circumstances. After the execution of his close associate and teacher Mahmoud Muhammed Taha, he chose to continue his work abroad.

Over the years he has written extensively on the subject of reform of Muslim law and has been an active campaigner for the protection of human rights in Islamic societies (especially the rights of women).

In this documentary we portray professor An-Na'im in Yemen where he will be working on a project called 'Rights at Home': An approach to the internalization of Human Rights in Family Relations in Islamic Communities.

The project proposes to inform and support internal, community level initiatives for social change through local actors who combine a commitment to human rights with the ability to effectively advocate the underlying values of these rights within their own communities.

These actors, referred to as ‘advocates of social change', are the primary target group of the project.

The ultimate beneficiaries of 'Rights at Home' are women and children in Islamic societies, whose rights will be addressed under two main themes: the socialization of children and the personal autonomy of women.