Magna Carta, Religion and the Rule of Law

Jurists, historians and theologians from five faiths and three continents examine the importance of Magna Carta's religious foundations.

Part I. Introduction: 1. The relevance and resonance of the Great Charter of 1215 for religions today Robin Griffith-Jones and Mark Hill QC; 2. Magna Carta Lord Judge of Draycote; Part II. The Birth of Magna Carta and the Spread of its Principles: 3. Due process in Magna Carta: its sources in English law, canon law and Stephen Langton John W. Baldwin; 4. From Charter to common law: the rights and liberties of the pre-Reformation Church Margaret McGlynn; 5. Magna Carta and the law of nations R. H. Helmholz; 6. Magna Carta and personal liberty Sir John Baker QC; 7. Towards a new Magna Carta for early modern England John Witte, Jr; 8. Differences over the foundation of law in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century America David Little; Part III. Comparative Religious Approaches to Magna Carta's Rule of Law: 9. Quranic Magna Carta: on the origins of the rule of law in Islam Wael Hallaq; 10. Justice in Islamic legislation Ali Gomaa; 11. Sharia and the rule of law: preserving the realm Anver Emon; 12. Democracy and the power of religion: some lessons from India Sudipta Kaviraj; 13. The still small voice of Magna Carta in Christian law today Norman Doe; 14. Magna Carta, rule of law and religious diversity Maleiha Malik; Part IV. The Contemporary Inheritance of Magna Carta: 15. The development of human rights thought from Magna Carta to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Sir Rabinder Singh; 16. Strasbourg's approach to religion in the pluralist democracies of Europe Javier Martínez-Torrón; 17. The Great Covenant of Liberties: Biblical principles and Magna Carta Lord Sacks; 18. The cardinal rule of religion and the rule of law: a musing on Magna Carta Simon Lee; Epilogue: 19. Strengthened by the rule of law: the message of Magna Carta for religions today Lord Dyson; Appendix: the charters in translation.