ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS
- “Under the Taliban government’s austere interpretation of Islamic law, the ‘mahram’ practice long rooted in Afghan society has become compulsory.” For more content and context on the recent developments in Afghanistan, consult our Editor-in-Chief, Professor Intisar Rabb’s “Resource Roundup: Afghanistan, the Taliban, and Islamic Law.”
- “A Kenyan mother, who has led a long and desperate campaign to save her son from execution in Saudi Arabia, was weak with relief when he was granted a temporary reprieve this week. . . . It means her anxiety has not eased. She is still trying to raise the ‘diyah’ or blood money that under the Islamic legal system, known as Sharia, would secure a pardon from the victim’s family.”
- “The Women’s Legal Centre (WLC) [in South Africa] celebrated what it referred to as a victory for Muslim women and children of Muslim marriages, who are now legally recognised after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the Divorce Amendment Bill. . . . The organisation had expressed concern over the hardship faced by Muslim women in a Muslim marriage as a result of their exclusion from the Marriage Act and the Divorce Act.”
- “Bahrain-based Al Baraka Bank is looking to deepen its footprint in Pakistan as the South Asian nation embraces interest-free Islamic banking.”
CASES AND FATWĀS
- “A Federal Court [in Malaysia] judge has rejected the notion that shariah courts are ‘inferior’ to civil courts. In a supporting judgment issued in a case which saw the apex court dismiss a woman’s challenge to her religious status as a Muslim earlier this month, Justice Abu Bakar Jais said: ‘I am aware there are expressed views that say shariah courts are inferior courts, thus making it possible at least by deduction to review its decisions. I respectfully depart from those opinions.'”
- “A Sharia Court in Ningi headquarters of Ningi LGA in Bauchi state [Nigeria] has sentenced a middle-aged man to death by stoning for the offence of homosexuality, having been found guilty of the offence as charged. The Sharia Court presided over by Abdullahi Aliyu Doya delivered the judgement and pronounced the death sentence during the court session on Friday, 10th May 2024 in Ningi.” For more content and context on harsh interpretations and applications of Islamic criminal law, consult our Editor-in-Chief, Professor Intisar Rabb’s “Resource Roundup: Islamic Criminal Law.” For more news blurbs relating to harsh applications of Islamic criminal law, consult our “Islamic Criminal Law in the News Roundup.”
UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Calendar:
- Leiden Yemeni Studies Lecture Series: History of Water Management in Yemen: An Interdisciplinary Study, May 20, 2024.
- International Course on Legal Pluralism: Commission on Legal Pluralism, January 8-11, 2025 (deadline: May 20, 2024).
- Webinar: Revisiting the History of Medieval Libya (7th-16th centuries): Between Ṭarābulus and Aṭrābulus. The journey of the toponym and difficulties in determining its form, May 22, 2024.
- Call for Papers: The Medieval Academy at 100, The 2025 Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America, March 20-22, 2025 (deadline: June 3, 2024).
- Conference in Honour of Shaheen Sardar Ali: Modern Challenges to Islamic Law: Exploring New Pathways, Max Planck Institute Hamburg, June 6-7, 2024.
- Leiden Yemeni Studies Lecture Series: Mapping the Past, Imagining the Future: Heritage Politics in Ḥūthī Yemen, June 24, 2024.
- Webinar: Revisiting the History of Medieval Libya (7th-16th centuries): Surveying and documentation of the archaeological city of Barca (Al-Marj), June 26, 2024.
- Symposium on Copyright in Islamic Legal Tradition, Istanbul, June 28-29, 2024.
- Workshop: ASLH Early Career Virtual Workshop, June 30, 2024.
- Call for Papers: The XI Islamic Legal Studies Conference, University of Muenster, June 30, 2024.
- Call for Papers: De Jure: Jurnal Hukum dan Syar’iah, June 2024.
- Call for Proposals: Hot Topics Program, 2025 Association of American Law Schools Meeting, October 14, 2024.
- Search for Editor: International Journal of Middle East Studies, until an appointment is made.
- Internship opportunity: The Executive Office of the President, White House, various deadlines.
- Position opening: Academic mentor and field researcher in Iraq, Cordoba Peace Institute-Geneva (CPI) & ETH Zurich, rolling basis.
- Position opening: Academic mentor for researcher in Mogadishu, Cordoba Peace Institute-Geneva (CPI) & ETH Zurich.
- Call for Papers: Special Section – Lifewriting Annual and Islam.
- Call for Manuscripts: Advances in the Study of Islam, Edinburgh University Press.