Oh, Irene

Irene Oh is a contemporary scholar of religious ethics and comparative religion whose work examines the intersection of human rights discourse with Islamic theological and ethical traditions. Her scholarship, including "The Rights of God: Islam, Human Rights and Comparative Ethics," offers a nuanced analysis of how Islamic conceptualizations of divine rights relate to modern human rights frameworks. Oh challenges simplistic dichotomies between religious and secular approaches to rights, demonstrating how Islamic thought provides distinctive perspectives on the relationship between divine sovereignty and human dignity. Her comparative methodology illuminates both convergences and tensions between Islamic ethics and international human rights norms, contributing to broader debates about religious pluralism, moral authority, and the universality of rights claims. Oh's work is particularly significant for its sophisticated treatment of how theocentric worldviews can engage constructively with contemporary ethical and political challenges.