ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS
- “Ahmed Toufiq, Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, affirmed . . . before the House of Councillors that the official Hajj fees for the current season are determined based on a clearly defined set of services provided to Moroccan pilgrims.”
- “Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani has stated that the group’s rise to power was not motivated by a desire for dominance or rule. Haqqani stressed that the group was driven by a commitment to what he described as ‘jihad’ against ‘infidelity and corruption’ and the establishment of Islamic . . . law.” 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.”
- “The Justice Department has quietly closed a short-lived investigation into a planned housing development in Texas with a mosque at its center, saying the developers had pledged to abide by federal fair-housing laws. The project, known as EPIC City, drew scrutiny from Republican activists and Texas leaders, who earlier this year accused its promoters of trying to create a community that would discriminate against non-Muslims and give Islamic law precedence over state and federal law.”
CASES AND FATWĀS
- “The Federal Court [in Malaysia] . . . quashed the 2014 fatwa against Sisters in Islam (SIS) that decreed the organisation as deviant by the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS).” “The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has expressed disappointment and sadness with regard to the Federal Court’s decision.” “Sisters in Islam (SIS) Forum Malaysia has described the Federal Court’s landmark ruling in its favour as a milestone decision that reaffirms constitutional supremacy, the rule of law and the accountability of all institutions, including religious authorities.”
- “Iran‘s Constitutional Council . . . approved a plan, already ratified by the parliament, to suspend the country’s cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog.”
- “The Telangana High Court has held that a Muslim wife has an absolute and unconditional right to dissolve her marriage through khula, and that the husband’s consent is not a prerequisite for its validity, in a significant ruling that underscores the autonomy of Muslim women within personal law.”
- “According to Taliban officials, the legal framework has been developed based on the Quran, the Sunnah — the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad — and the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence. The drafting process has involved both religious clerics and legal scholars appointed by the Taliban. The announcement marks a pivotal step in the Taliban’s attempt to consolidate their system of governance nearly four years after they dissolved the former Afghan Constitution and nullified all laws passed by the previous government.”
UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Calendar:
- Making Connections: New Works in Legal History Series, American Society for Legal History, June 30, 2025.
- Workshop: “From Classical ML to AI in Arabic and Islamic Studies,” Hamburg University, July 1-4, 2025 (Deadline: April 30, 2025)
- Summer Language Intensive Program: Istanbul University Institute for Islamic Studies, July 7 – August 8, 2025.
- Prize: Colin B. Picker Prize, Younger Comparativists Committee, August 15, 2025.
- Summer School: Philology and Manuscripts from the Muslim World, Leiden University, August 18-29, 2025 (Application deadline: May 5, 2025).
- Faculty Fellow: Faculty Fellow in Near Eastern Studies, New York University, 2025-2026, September 1, 2025 (Deadline: March 24, 2025).
- Summer School on Digital Humanities and Islamic Studies, September 1-4, 2025, Switzerland (Deadline: June 13, 2025).
- Call for Proposals: Paris Congress at 125: Comparative Law’s Entanglement with Power from Paris to Today, McGill University, Canada, October 16-18, 2025 (Deadline: May 31, 2025).
- Conference: 5th ACM Conference on Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization, University of Pittsburgh, November 5-7, 2025.
- Call for Papers: ASLH 2025 Annual Meeting, Detroit, MI, November 13-15, 2025 (Deadline: March 25, 2025).
- Call for Papers: International Conference “Poetry and Knowledge,” University of Münster, November 20-22, 2025 (Deadline: June 1, 2025).
- Conference: MESA 2025, Westin Downtown, Washington DC, November 22-25, 2025 (Proposal deadline: February 13, 2025).
- Position opening: Senior Lecturer in Law, History, and Society, Vanderbilt University, 2025.
- 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.