Islamic Law in the News Roundup

  • A public prosecutor in Saudi Arabia orders a review of death penalties issued against three individuals for their alleged protest-participation and violence against security forces in 2011 and 2012.
  • Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, praises Egypt‘s House of Representatives for withdrawing from the draft law which would create a parallel entity to the bodies under Al-Azhar’s control.
  • Authorities in Kashgar prefecture in northwest China‘s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), restricts Muslims from observing Islamic wedding rites as outlined by Islamic law.
  • The Indian Forum for Education in Saudi Arabia organizes an international webinar titled “Contemporary Challenges and Importance of Islamic Legal Education.”
  • Turkey‘s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issues an order to convert Istanbul’s Kariya museum into a mosque. Prior to its 20th century conversion into a museum, the site was a church up until the 16th century in which it was converted into a mosque. This follows President Erdogan’s recent decision to restore the Hagia Sophia’s status as a  mosque and transferring its maintenance to the country’s Presidency of Religious Affairs.
  • Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari of Sudan announces the end of bans on alcohol and apostasy as well as the prohibition of corporal punishment.
  • Saudi Arabia considers ending the use of capital punishment for drug-related offenses.

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