Young Palestinian Muslim Support for Judicial and Political Human Rights

Abstract

Within our sample of 903 Bethlehem area Muslim males and females between the ages of 13 and 24, we found modest support for the judicial rights to freedom from physical torture and the requirement of a search warrant and modest support for the right to legal counsel. There was stronger support for the political rights to political participation, adequate assistance to persons who were refugees, and the prohibition of police and governmental interference with demonstrations. A strong predictor of support for judicial rights was having spiritual religious experiences. Belief in God, faith, appreciating the public function of religion, cultural conformity, and empathy were positive predictors of support for political rights. Interestingly, older respondents show lower support for human rights. This could be attributed to the experience and effects of Palestinians living under occupation. The findings are consistent with Muslim religious belief and with the notion that judicial and political human rights can find support in a religious context.