ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS
- “While Islamic law recognizes that war may sometimes become necessary, particularly in self-defense, it places strict limits on how war may be conducted.”
- Halal tourism “provides services and facilities in accordance with Islamic law so Muslim travelers can observe their faith without compromising their travel experience.”
- In Indonesia, the “Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the National Zakat Agency (Baznas) [are] build[ing] up [their] commitment to developing transparent and impactful DAM (Hajj penalty for ritual violations) governance.
- In Morocco, “King Mohammed VI has appointed El Yazid Er-Radi as the new Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Ulema.”
- “The Shariah Lawyers Association of Malaysia (PGSM) has proposed that shariah courts nationwide conduct case mention proceedings online to save costs and reduce the strain on judicial workforce resources, amid the ongoing global energy crisis.” For more content and context on Islamic law in Malaysia, consult our Editor-in-Chief Professor Intisar Rabb’s “Legislation and Regulation of Islamic Law in Malaysia” and its appended resource roundup.
- “Prospective haj pilgrims have been reminded to obtain permits and comply with regulations set by the Saudi Arabian authorities in line with maqasid syariah (objectives of Islamic law), to ensure pilgrims’ safety and prevent harm and disorder.”
CASES AND FATWĀS
- A failed “Arkansas Property Rights Protection From Sharia Law Act…[aimed to] safeguard against ‘peer pressure’ to comply with provisions of Islamic law that restricts property sales.”
- “The Madhya Pradesh High Court [India] has ruled that a Muslim man marrying again and bringing a second wife is not ‘bigamy’, because multiple marriages are allowed in Islamic Law.”
- “The Qadhis Courts Bill, formally published in Uganda’s Gazette at the end of February, would radically change the Ugandan court system. Under the bill, a parallel system of Sharia courts would have mandatory and exclusive jurisdiction over personal law matters such as marriage, divorce, custody, and inheritance for all Muslim marriages.”
- In Iran, a proposed “Plan on Protection of Promoters of Virtue and Vice was rejected by the country’s influential Guardian Council, a 12-member group that scrutinises legislation. The official IRNA news agency, quoting a council spokesman, said the 24-point plan contained 14 flaws and it ‘contradicted the constitution.’”
- In Pakistan, “the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 sailed through the Standing Committee on Local Government & Community Development….The bill sets 18 years as the minimum legal age of marriage for both boys and girls across Punjab, abolishing the earlier provision that permitted the marriage of girls at the age of 16.”
- “A Cape Town [South Africa] woman who carried the financial burden of her Muslim marriage has won a High Court battle forcing her ex-husband to repay nearly R100,000.”
- “A group of United Nations human rights experts has called on the Taliban to revoke Decree Number 12, known as the ‘criminal rules of courts,’ warning that it contains provisions that are incompatible with international human rights 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.”
UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
PIL & Harvard Events:
- Workshop: Middle East Beyond Borders—Djelemory Diabate, “Closing the Sufi Age: Authority, Finality, and Political Theology in Umar al-Futi Tal’s Kitab Rimah,” April 20, 2026
PIL & Harvard Opportunities:
- Award: Alwaleed Bin Talal Doctoral Dissertation Prize, May 15, 2026
Global Events:
- Conference: Humanities of AI—Intelligence and Imitation: Mind, Mechanism, Mimesis, Johns Hopkins University, April 24–26, 2026
- Conference: American Society for Premodern Asia Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, April 24–27, 2026
- Conference: Middle East History and Theory Conference (MEHAT), University of Chicago, May 1–2, 2026
- Workshop: The Law and Humanities Workshop for Junior Scholars, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, June 8–9, 2026
- Conference: Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities Annual Conference, Chicago, June 17–18, 2026
- Workshop: Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Graduate Student Workshop, July 25–26, 2026
- Workshop: Archival Abundances and Silences in Islamic Studies, Princeton University, October 2–3, 2026
- Conference: Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, November 21–24, 2026
Global Opportunities:
- Language School: Persian Language Summer School, Armenian School of Languages and Cultures, Yerevan, Armenia, May 1, 2026
- Summer School: Philology and Manuscripts from the Muslim World, Leiden University, May 4, 2026
- Call for Participation: Digital Medieval Studies Institute, International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, May 13, 2026
- Award: Global Dissertation Prize, American Society for Legal History, June 1, 2026
- Position Opening: Visiting Assistant Professor of Medieval Middle East, Colby College, July 1, 2026
- Call for Participation: Digital Medieval Studies Institute, International Medieval Congress, Leeds, UK, July 10, 2026
- Award: Gwenn Okruhlik Dissertation Award, Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies, July 15, 2026
- Award: Graduate Paper Prize, Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies, July 15, 2026
- Award: Student Travel Award, Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies, September 1, 2026