- “The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) [in Malaysia], Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, has clarified that the fatwas (edicts) enacted under Mufti Bill (Federal Territories) 2024 are binding only on Muslims and limited to the jurisdiction of the states.”
- “Amnesty International . . . called for Iraqi lawmakers to drop proposed amendments to the Personal Status Law in Iraq, which codifies the rules of marriage and family matters in the country. The amendments, if passed, would allow young girls aged nine and above to be married.”
- “Concerns about press freedom in Afghanistan are growing after the Taliban vowed to impose a law banning news media from publishing images of all living things.”
- “Dr. Mohammad Yousof Asefi, a practicing physician and nationally recognized artist” resolved to save the “paintings in the Afghan National Gallery” after the Taliban announced its intention to destroy them. 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.”
- “Religious leaders in Iran continue to criticize President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad because he hugged the mother of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez while offering his condolences to her. According to Islamic law in force in Iran, physical contact between persons of the opposite sex, who are not related by blood, is prohibited.”
- “Indonesian authorities plan to inspect grocery store shelves to check compliance with a law requiring halal labels on food items from Friday, officials said, although some importers and restaurants face hurdles in complying.”
- “The government [of Bangladesh] has appointed Islamic law expert and Hadith scholar Mufti Muhammad Abdul Malek as khatib of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.”