Mazahib: Jurnal Pemikiran Hukum Islam
Vol. 25 No. 1 (2026): VOLUME 25, ISSUE 1, 2026

Terminological Engineering in International Law: Sexuality and the Epistemological Challenge to Islamic Ethical Law

Abdelhak Djebbar (University of Oran1)
Ahm Ershad Uddin (Kocaeli University)



Article Info

Publish Date
22 Jun 2026

Abstract

This study investigates how international institutions, particularly United Nations bodies, engage in terminological engineering that reshapes global moral and legal discourse. It argues that terms related to gender, sexuality, and human identity are not linguistically neutral but serve as instruments of Western ideological hegemony. Through the analysis of international instruments such as CEDAW, the Beijing Platform for Action, and the Yogyakarta Principles, the paper demonstrates how linguistic normalization embeds secular-liberal assumptions within international law. Drawing upon the Islamic intellectual tradition, especially the concepts of fiṭrah (innate disposition) and iṣṭilāḥ (ethical terminology), the study contrasts secular and sacred epistemologies of law and language. It concludes that the global diffusion of these terminologies constitutes not merely a legal process but an epistemological transformation that redefines human ontology, undermines ethical pluralism, and challenges the moral sovereignty of Islamic jurisprudence.  

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Journal Info

Abbrev

mazahib

Publisher

Subject

Religion Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice

Description

Mazahib Jurnal Pemikiran Hukum Islam / Mazahib Journal of Islamic Legal Thoughts (P-ISSN: 1829-9067; E-ISSN: 2460-6588) is an international peer-reviewed Journal Published by the Faculty of Sharia Sultan Aji Muhammad Idris State Islamic University Samarinda since 2004. The Journal specializes in the ...