ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS
- “Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi…urged religious scholars to support Islamabad in its fight against ‘terrorism,’ urging them to inform the masses that Islam discourages anti-state activities.”
- “Calls to fight ‘Sharia’ are not new to Texas Republican politics, but as the border loses emotional force for voters, fear of Islam is back in a big way.”
- In the US, “the Sharia-Free America Caucus, established in December, now boasts more than 60 members, all of whom are Republican.”
- In Iran, “the gap between Khamenei’s assassination on February 28 and the announced burial has been unusually long for Shi’ite tradition, which favours prompt interment.”
- “Ethical marketing is not merely a modern corporate social responsibility trend; for the Muslim entrepreneur and digital professional, it is a spiritual mandate rooted in the very core of Islamic theology. As the digital economy expands, the temptation to utilize manipulative tactics, deceptive algorithms, and ‘black-hat’ SEO strategies has grown exponentially.”
- In Libya, “Minister of Youth in the Government of National Unity, Haitham Al-Zahaf, met with a group of academics specializing in Islamic law and senior religious leaders to discuss ways to implement the National Program for Youth Preachers.”
- “The law relating to waqf in India has increasingly become a subject of intense legal, political, and social debate. Yet one important doctrinal issue continues to receive far less attention than it deserves: the concept of Waqf of Musha’—the dedication of an undivided share in jointly owned property.”
- In the US, “the number of legal practitioners who have a basic grounding and connection to the Islamic sciences, equipped to think about these issues a step further than the status quo, is fewer than desired.”
CASES AND FATWĀS
- In Minnesota, “a jury found a Twin Cities realtor liable for discrimination and deceptive practices….Chadwick Banken targeted Muslim homebuyers in a deceptive deed scheme…[in which] Islamic law-specific contracts [had] higher sales prices, higher down payments and higher monthly payments than contracts marketed to non-Muslim purchasers.”
- “The Lahore High Court [Pakistan] has ruled that parents cannot surrender or extinguish future rights of a minor child, including maintenance and inheritance, through a private agreement or compromise before a family court.”
- In Pakistan, “the Federal Constitutional Court has issued a significant judgment safeguarding women’s inheritance rights, holding that a woman’s share in inheritance is not a right granted by the state but a right ordained by Almighty Allah, which cannot be taken away under any circumstances.”
- In the Maldives, “President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu stated that the Organ Transplant Bill was sent back for re-examination…[in part because] as the bill stands, there is a possibility that a punishment outside of the scope of Qisas (retribution), as per Islamic law, may be enforced.”
- In India, “Union Minister of State for Textiles and External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, has said that the Waqf Amendment Act 2025 has been widely misunderstood and clarified that it is a reform-driven initiative aimed at ensuring transparency, good governance, and public benefit.”
UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Events:
- 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
- Conference: The Institutional Embedding of Shiʿi Imams: Kinship, Caliphs, Courts and Companions (700-900), University of Leiden, January 13–15, 2027
- Conference: Rupture or Continuity in Sharīʿa: (De)Colonizing Sharīʿa? International Conference, Centre for Islamic Studies (ISAM), Istanbul, Turkey, June 9–11, 2027
Opportunities:
- 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