Islamic Law in the News

  • “The recent codification of the Personal Status Law (PSL) in Saudi Arabia marks a significant development in the country’s legal framework, particularly concerning women’s rights in child custody disputes. The PSL, officially enacted in March 2022, represents the Saudi government’s formal endorsement of laws that prioritise mother’s custody rights, seen as a significant step towards gender equality under Islamic law.”
  • “The Taliban said . . . it was absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination and other human rights violations, as four countries vow to hold Afghanistan’s rulers accountable under international law for their treatment of women and girls. Specifically, “[t]he governments of Australia, Canada, Germany, and The Netherlands have stated their intention to take Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government to the International Court of Justice for policies they say show the Islamic Emirate’s “contempt” for the rights of women and girls.” 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.” For the text of the recently enacted “Law on Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,” stirring international debate, see here.
  • “Assistant Religious Officer from the Islamic Da’wah Centre Muhammad Syahirul Syafiq bin Rashid during a lecture touched on the importance of Maqasid Syariah (Objectives of Islamic Law) which emphasises on the preservation of intellect in accordance with sunnah and therefore is a gift from Allah the Almighty that must be maintained in instilling noble values and knowledge as commanded.”
  • “The deaths of two men [for alleged blasphemy] have reverberated across Pakistan, where the charge of insulting Islam has long been a sensitive issue.”
  • Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, has announced the launch of its Islamic Account, making it the first global cryptocurrency exchange to offer such a service to Muslim traders worldwide.”
  • “After reviewing many excellent submissions, the Selection Committee has chosen Afiya Rahman ’24 (Social Studies and South Asian Studies) as the winner of the 2024 Alwaleed Bin Talal Undergraduate Thesis Prize in Islamic Studies for her thesis entitled, ‘We Are Children of Genocide: Charting Transnational Solidarity and Racial Politics in the Bangladeshi Diaspora.’ . . . The Committee also named Asmer Safi ’24 (Social Studies and Ethnicity, Migration and Rights) as honorable mention for his excellent thesis, ‘Sing to the Rattling of Your Chains’: The Revolutionary Political Thought of Abdul Rahim Popalzai.'”

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