Cultural Relativist And Feminist Critique Of 'Friends Or Foes'

Reitman, Oonagh. "Cultural Relativist and Feminist Critiques of International Human Rights—Fiends or Foes?." Statsvetenskaplig tidskrift 100, no. 1 (1997), 100-110.

The journal entitled “Cultural Relativist and Feminist Critiques of the International Human Rights –Friends or Foes”, written by Oonagh Reitman is a good fully equipped critical journal since the author put the focus on the discussion about the similarity between two branches of international human rights, the cultural relativist and the feminist in term of their critiques towards the international human rights and also present the fact of the clash between these two critiques when talking about women’s human rights. This critical review paper will provide a summary of the journal

The fear of Feminist perspective is that cultural relativist perspective will hinder the implementation and recognition as well as the enforcement of the rights of women as the human rights (Bunting 1993). The most suitable evidence is the practice of Shariah Law in some Muslim majority states, especially in the Middle East. Women in the community which ruled by Shariah has fewer right than women in the Western countries (Friedland 2014). The proof we can see based on Q 4:11 and Q 4:176 that woman will only get or have only a half much than her brother inherit (Al-Manteeqi 2016). Shariah law has violates a lot of women’s rights. It is written in Shariah law than women can be beaten, wives cannot have the same portion of divorces right like what their husband does, female rulers are frowned, raping female detents is permits, and

Reitman clearly explains and elaborate the arguments well, from the introduction to the concluding section. The beginning chapter has clearly shown the whole thing that the author will discuss. Once again, this is a well-organized article with very clear and comprehensive arguments and explanations. I agree with the arguments of the opposition between two branches of international human rights, the cultural relativism and the feminism, towards the international human rights itself particularly in term of universality. However, I see that the cultural relativist may cooperate with feminist to achieve their intention against the universality but I see this more into Cultural Relativist vs (Feminist vs human rights). Because the practice of cultural relativist based on tradition or religion is against or opposing both universal human rights and the rights of