Weekend Scholarship Roundup

SCHOLARSHIP ROUNDUP On Islamic Law: In Islamic Economics and Finance in Action (Brill Academic Publishers), Shinsuke Nagaoka (Kyoto University) “provides an in-depth picture of how Islamic finance, which began as a commercial practice half a century ago, has grown globally through the trials and errors of bankers and scholars, with analyses of various controversies within the financial industry and academia… CONTINUE READING

Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī, Ashʿarism, and the Politics of a Phrase: A Case Study in Historiographical Anachronism

By Ilyass Amharar Framing the Question This third essay in our series on the early encounters between Mālikism and Ashʿarism focuses on perhaps the most contested figure in the debate … Continue reading Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī, Ashʿarism, and the Politics of a Phrase: A Case Study in Historiographical Anachronism

Islamic Law in the News Roundup

ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS In India, “The Kerala Government’s free-for-women Priyadarshini bus scheme has come under scrutiny over passenger identification and possible misuse… social reformer A.P. Ahmed Master suggested a ban on niqab and burqa on board.” “Malaysia is seeking to elevate its economic partnership with Korea beyond traditional manufacturing and trade by positioning itself as a long-term strategic… CONTINUE READING

Weekend Scholarship Roundup

SCHOLARSHIP ROUNDUP On Islamic Law: In “The Moroccan Mellāḥ: Governing Jewish Spaces and the Islamic Secular” (Turkish Journal of Islamic Studies), Rachel M. Scott (Virginia Tech University) “examines the Moroccan institution of the mellāḥ—the walled Jewish quarters established in Fez, Marrakesh, Meknes, and Tetouan from 1438 onward—as a case study for testing Sherman Jackson’s distinction between the sharʿī and non-sharʿī… CONTINUE READING

Kairouan, Baghdad, Fez: The Early Networks of Mālikī Ashʿarism in the Maghrib

By Ilyass Amharar Why This Essay Belongs on the Islamic Law Blog My first essay established that the encounter between Mālikism and Ashʿarism cannot be relegated to a late, politically … Continue reading Kairouan, Baghdad, Fez: The Early Networks of Mālikī Ashʿarism in the Maghrib

Islamic Law in the News Roundup

ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS “Analysts say Mauritania’s use of trained and certified Islamic female spiritual guides are a critical component of the country’s peacekeeping approach. Known as mourchidates, these women are certified by the state and deployed into prisons, schools, youth centers, hospitals and mosques, where they speak with young men and women about faith. Trained in Islamic law,… CONTINUE READING

Weekend Scholarship Roundup

SCHOLARSHIP ROUNDUP On Islamic Law: Mohammad Fadel (University of Toronto) offers a critical review of Sherman A. Jackson’s The Islamic Secular in a recent issue of the Turkish Journal of Islamic Studies. Fadel characterizes Jackson’s central concept as a modality of secularity internal to the Islamic tradition that, unlike its Western counterpart, does not devalue religion but instead sustains Islamically-inflected… CONTINUE READING

Early Contacts Between Mālikism and Ashʿarism: Rethinking a Narrative of Separation

By Ilyass Amharar Why This Question Matters for Islamic Legal History? Readers of a blog devoted to Islamic law might reasonably wonder why a post about kalām (speculative theology) belongs … Continue reading Early Contacts Between Mālikism and Ashʿarism: Rethinking a Narrative of Separation

Islamic Law in the News Roundup

ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS In India, “the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has urged the Supreme Court to dilute or reconsider its proposed rules on the use of artificial intelligence in courts, saying that AI could undermine constitutional rights, harm marginalised communities and reinforce social inequalities.” “Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is pushing to expand the footprint of… CONTINUE READING