ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS
- “The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has distributed questionnaires to teachers and students in Kabul schools, asking about their compliance with their interpretation of Islamic law.” In the same week, “the Taliban’s leader has warned that Afghans ungrateful for its hardline rule will be severely punished by God in a statement marking the fourth anniversary of the group’s return to power.” In Herat, “Shaikh Aziz Ul-Rahman Al-Mahajir, Propagation of Virtue, Prevention of Vice and Hearing Complaints department director, told media that their Muhtasebeen (inspectors) had received accurate information and managed to release a woman in Poshtkuh district who had been illegally imprisoned by her relatives in the absence of her husband and introduced the case to legal authorities. Separately, the forced marriage of an 11-year-old girl to a 65-year-old man in Adrskan district was prevented and suspects involved in the case were arrested, he added.” 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.”
- In Iran, journalists “interviewed several women whose experiences show how temporary marriage has evolved from a religious accommodation into a system that exploits vulnerable women while generating profits for online intermediaries.”
- In Malaysia, “The Sabah Government, through the Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jheains), has introduced the “eKahwin system”, a new digital platform aimed at streamlining the marriage application process for Muslim couples in the state.” In the State of Bernama, the Road Transportation Department stated that it is “committed to enhancing road safety through a Maqasid Syariah (objectives of Islamic law) approach in all advocacy programmes, special operations, and related campaigns, aiming to protect public well-being in accordance with religious principles and universal human values.” In Kuala Lumpur, “The Special Committee studying the competence of state legislative assemblies to enact Syariah laws [announced that it] has completed its report.”
- Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo’s “engagement [has] put a spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s shifting social boundaries” and “captured the moment Saudi society finds itself in: a delicate balancing act between Islamic law and globalization.”
- The Kenya Times laid out the “step by step process of appointing a new Chief Kadhi” in a recent post.
- The Grant Mufti of Egypt gave opening remarks at the 10th International Conference of the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide under the theme “The Making of the Competent Mufti in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
CASES, FATWĀS, LEGISLATION ON ISLAMIC LAW
- “Abu Dhabi: The family of an Indian expat cook in the UAE who died in a 2023 road accident has been awarded Dh400,000 in total compensation, after an additional claim was filed following an initial Dh200,000 diya payment…the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court imposed a Dh20,000 fine on the driver and ordered him to pay Dh200,000 as diya to Musthafa’s family, the company said. …However, YAB Legal Services, led by CEO Salam Pappinissery, filed a separate compensation claim with the Insurance Authority on behalf of the family, citing that the diya amount was insufficient.”
- A special news report on “Divorce in Asia” found that “divorce laws and social norms still largely disadvantage women in many Asian societies, causing severe emotional and financial strain.” “In Pakistan,…one 34-year-old woman, who asked not to be named, said her attempt at divorce became a prolonged battle after discovering that the khula clause — a legal process for Muslim women to seek divorce — had been removed from her marriage contract.”
- “Authorities in Terengganu state, which is governed by the conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS)” announced that Muslim men “could face up to two years in prison or a hefty fine for skipping Friday prayers without a valid reason.”
- “Iran publicly hanged a convicted murderer at the scene of his alleged crime…the judiciary said, just two days after another public execution.”
- “The Supreme Court of Afghanistan has imposed 340 punishments under Islamic law over four months, ignoring international criticisms. The rulings, contended by Afghanistan’s National Lawyers Association, were defended by religious scholars citing a need for strict Sharia enforcement to maintain order and eliminate crimes such as corruption and looting.”
- “A court in Vienna has caused a storm after confirming that a financial ruling based on Islamic law, or Sharia, is legally valid in Austria.”
- In Ghana, Kpone Katamanso Municipal Chief Imam Alhaji Saeed Abdulai responded to the “tragic helicopter accident on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, which claimed the lives of senior Ghanaian officials” with a fatwa stating that “it is permissible to delay the burial of the Muslim deceased in this helicopter incident until forensic identification is completed.”
- In Oman, “following a ministerial decision (No 215/2025) issued by H E Dr Saud bin Hamoud bin Ahmed al Habsi, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, the ministry has established a dedicated working group to regulate halal foods in the country.”
- “The Spanish government has ordered a town to drop a ban on religious gatherings in public sports facilities, with ministers criticising the measure as discriminatory towards the local Muslim community and arguing that it violates the constitution.”
- “In a nod to Islamic law, the Gujarat High Court recently observed that a Muslim marriage can be dissolved through mutual verbal consent, or mubaraat.”
- “The Allahabad High Court [India]…refused to grant protection from arrest to a Hindu-Muslim couple in a live-in relationship, observing that such arrangements cannot be used as a shield to evade laws governing religious conversion or morality under personal law.”
- Northern Cape residents in South Africa spoke out against the new Marriage Bill, partly on the grounds that it “undermines gender equality by legislating for polygamy but not polyandry.”
- “Bahrain‘s High Sharia Court has delivered a judgment disestablishing the legal paternity of five children from a Bahraini ma’s ex-wife, after conclusive evidence revealed he is not their biological father.”
UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
PIL & Harvard Events:
- Talk: “The Taliban Courts in Afghanistan, Waging War by Law,” Adam Baczko, October 9, 2025 @ 4:30pm
Other Events:
- Summer School: Digital Humanities and Islamic Studies, University of Bern, September 1–4, 2025
- Conference: Paris Congress at 125—Comparative Law’s Entanglement with Power from Paris to Today, McGill University, Canada, October 16–18, 2025
- Conference: 5th ACM Conference on Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization, University of Pittsburgh, November 5–7, 2025
- Conference: ASLH 2025 Annual Meeting, Detroit, MI, November 13–15, 2025
- Conference: “Islam and Artificial Intelligence: Challenges and Opportunities,” North American Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies, November 20, 202
- Conference: International Conference “Poetry and Knowledge,” University of Münster, November 20–22, 2025
- Conference: MESA 2025, Westin Downtown, Washington DC, November 22–25, 2025
- Conference: Faith, Values, and the Rule of Law—An Interdisciplinary Conference, Seton Hall University School of Law, February February 4–5, 2026
Other Opportunities:
- Call for Papers: Faith, Values, and the Rule of Law—An Interdisciplinary Conference, Seton Hall University School of Law, November 1, 2025
- Call for Submissions: Journal of Trends in Intellectual Property Research, Volume 3, Issue 2, December 29, 2025
- Call for Submissions: Journal of Legal Research & Analysis, Volume 3, Issue 2, December 29, 2025