ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS
- “The Chief Imam of Usman bn Affan Mosque in Gadon Kaya, Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State [Nigeria], Dr. Aliy Yunus, has urged Muslims to strictly observe Islamic guidelines on wills, stressing that not every instruction left behind by a deceased person should be carried out if it contradicts the Qur’an and the Sunnah.”
- “Member states of the OIC [Organization of Islamic Cooperation] called on Afghanistan to ensure the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and girls in public life…The 32-point resolution states that the restrictions imposed on women and girls in Afghanistan are inconsistent with Islamic values.” 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.”
- “Pakistan’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority chairman Bilal bin Saqib has called for continued dialogue on the status of cryptocurrency under Islamic law.”
- “On July 9, Israeli President Isaac Herzog…announced that he had just sworn in five new qadis—judges of Islamic law— ‘to serve in Israel’s sharia courts.’”
- “The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) is developing the Malaysia Maqasid Syariah Index as a framework to guide policy implementation, assess performance and strengthen integrity-based governance.”
CASES, FATWĀS, LEGISLATION ON ISLAMIC LAW
- “Egypt‘s Grand Mufti has ruled that permanently sharing a home Wi-Fi password or internet connection with neighbours in return for a monthly fee is religiously forbidden if done without the written approval of the internet service provider.”
- In Malaysia, “the Sabah Legislative Assembly has passed the Muslim Succession Enactment 2026, a legislation aimed at establishing a comprehensive legal framework for the administration and distribution of Muslim estates under the jurisdiction of the Syariah Court.” 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.
- “Once an important source of support for the military leader, several influential Sunni scholars [in Burkina Faso] are now at odds with the authorities over the Religious Freedoms Law, the detention of prominent imams and the government’s campaign against religious extremism.”
- “The Taliban issued a fresh directive on weddings and engagement parties in Afghanistan this week, barring women from wearing make-up, hair extensions and perfume and saying the exchange of rings is a Western import forbidden under Islamic law.”
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:
- Award: Student Travel Award, Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies, September 1, 2026
- Call for Papers: Legal Research & Analysis, September 29, 2026
- Call for Papers: Trends in Intellectual Property Research, September 30, 2026