ABSTRACT
Introduction Are human rights compatible with religion? And is religion compatible with human rights? The answer to these often posed questions has typically been a straightforward no or yes (Banchoff and Wuthnow 2011: 3f.). Some commentators point to what they consider to be irreconcilable differences between the values and principles of the two meaning systems, arguing for the inherent incompatibility between religion and human rights. As Witte and Green (2012: 17) note, the human rights system teaches liberty, equality and pluralism, while most religions teach authority, hierarchy and orthodoxy. Others argue that human rights do in fact have religious roots, and that religious traditions and texts can be read as justification of principles of liberty, equality and pluralism, facilitating their compatibility with modern human rights.1
