Islamic Law in the News Roundup

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ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS

  • In Texas, “Van Zandt County commissioners unanimously approved a resolution denouncing the use of Sharia law in place of the U.S. Constitution and existing state and federal law.”
  • “China Asset Management (Hong Kong) and Qatar’s Lesha Bank agreed to launch Qatar’s first sharia-compliant China equity fund, highlighting growing efforts by Chinese financial institutions to lure Middle East capital as institutional investors and wealthy families seek safe havens amid geopolitical turmoil.”
  • In Indonesia, “Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Affairs Yusril Ihza Mahendra has called for stronger regulations and institutional frameworks for zakat (Islamic almsgiving) management to support poverty alleviation and boost public welfare.”
  • “The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) organized the second international expert workshop on the missing under Islamic law in Abuja, Nigeria…The workshop brought together Sharia Court judges, parliamentarians, Islamic law professors, religious leaders, military personnel, forensic experts, and practitioners to discuss the legal status of missing persons and explore solutions to strengthen the legal framework in national legislation across relevant Muslim contexts.”
  • In Malaysia, “Zetrix AI Bhd could face accelerated repayment of RM2 billion in outstanding sukuk principal and RM164.5 million in future coupon obligations if it fails to resolve a potential covenant breach by Oct 22 and subsequently fails to secure a waiver from sukuk holders.”
  • “Bangladesh Bank has introduced a comprehensive set of guidelines governing the operation of Shariah-compliant Islamic credit cards to ensure strict adherence to Islamic financial principles across commercial banks.”

CASES AND FATWĀS

  • “Human rights groups have raised the alarm over the growing number of death sentences and executions in Iran, after reports that a 23-year-old woman, Najmeh Amini, has been sentenced to death for blasphemy over a social-media post.”
  • “Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence imposed on Sivarasa Anojan, a 24-year-old Sri Lankan Hindu migrant worker convicted over a Facebook comment deemed insulting to Islam and Prophet Muhammad.”
  • In Malaysia, “The Selangor Islamic religious department (Jais) has detained two people, including a public figure, for allegedly committing khalwat (close proximity).” 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.
  • “Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia…Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan condemned the terrorist Houthi militia’s attacks against holy sites in the Kingdom. In remarks carried by the Saudi Press Agency, he stressed: ‘The terrorist Houthi militia’s targeting of civilian facilities and the killing of innocent people, including worshippers heading to the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, is among the gravest of crimes for which Allah Almighty has threatened painful punishment.’”
  • In India, “The Supreme Court sought responses…on a petition seeking uniform safeguards for all forms of divorce under Muslim personal law, including a ban on Talaq-e-Hasan and other forms of unilateral divorce.”
  • “A woman has collapsed after being lashed for having sex outside marriage, a violation of Sharia law, in Indonesia.” For more news blurbs relating to harsh applications of Islamic criminal law, consult our “Islamic Criminal Law in the News Roundup.”
  • “Taliban morality police carried out at least 443 arbitrary arrests and detentions across Afghanistan from July through September, according to a new UN report that also documents ill-treatment, restrictions on women and girls, pressure on the media and actions against Shia-affiliated institutions.” 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.”
  • “At least 52 women and one girl were briefly arrested or detained by Taliban authorities in Kabul and Herat between July and September for alleged violations of the group’s strict dress code, the United Nations said.”

UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Harvard/PIL Events: 

  • Workshop: Mathias Ghyoot, “Between Self-Help and Imperial Favor: The Rise of Islamic Voluntary Associations in Ottoman Syria,” Middle East Beyond the Borders, October 19, 2026
  • Workshop: Carina Dreyer. “What Makes a Scholastic Discipline?” Middle East Beyond the Borders, November 2, 2026

Global Events: 

  • Seminar: “Muslim Legal Practitioners in Australia: Identity, Inclusion and the Legal Profession,” Monash University Moot Court, November 12, 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

Harvard/PIL Opportunities: 

Global Opportunities: 

  • Position Opening: Assistant Professor in the Pre-Modern History of the Islamicate Middle East or Central Asia, University of Chicago, October 19, 2026
  • Call for Papers: Constitutional Moments Conference, Champaign, Illinois, October 20, 2026
  • Position Opening: Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, October 21, 2026
  • Position Opening: Tenure-track/Tenured Professor of the History of the Modern Middle East, Cornell University, November 15, 2026
  • Call for Papers: St. Andrews Early Modern Postgraduate Workshop, January 8, 2027

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