I am drawn to big projects. Small projects are easier to manage: if I focus on a single well–defined question, and answer it using a narrowly circumscribed set of source material, I can go from idea to article in less than a year, before my thoughts and notes and sources become too unwieldy to handle … Continue reading Getting a handle on large research projects
In the News: The Challenge of Navigating Sharīʿa Financing for Education
Testimonies from Muslim students studying in the United Kingdom note the challenge of navigating sharīʿa financing with banks that are not sharīʿa-compliant. Metro UK reporter Faima Bakar writes, “the limitations put on borrowing can stop students from pursuing university altogether. Those who still choose to study via halal means, such as borrowing money from their … Continue reading In the News: The Challenge of Navigating Sharīʿa Financing for Education
Muslim marriage and divorce practices in contemporary Britain :: Part 1 :: Introduction
By Shaheen Ali and Justin Jones Recent years have seen heated debate about the ability of modern, purportedly secular Western nations to accommodate the practice of Islamic norms of marriage and divorce by their Muslim citizens. To what extent should Muslims be able to live under the jurisdiction of laws derived from their religious traditions in … Continue reading Muslim marriage and divorce practices in contemporary Britain :: Part 1 :: Introduction
Weekend Scholarship Roundup
In "The Status of Restorative Justice in Pakistani Legal System: An Analysis of Pakistani Laws With Special Reference to Certain Case Studies," Islamic Law & Law of the Muslim World eJournal, Nagina Riaz and Sohail Amjad capture the traces of the Restorative Justice System found in the form of arbitration and mediation groups known as the … Continue reading Weekend Scholarship Roundup
Is Islamic Legal Theory Conservative?
There are plenty of reasons to say that it is. The corpus of revealed prooftexts is closely guarded and ranked by the decisions of hadith critics of old. The meaning of each word is governed by prescribed literal interpretations that must be followed in the absence of contrary evidence. When prooftexts conflict, abrogation settles the … Continue reading Is Islamic Legal Theory Conservative?
:: Commentary :: Organic Labeling: Reconciling Religious Freedom and Animal Welfare in the European Union
By Zahra Takhshid Introduction On February 2019, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued an opinion mandating the stunning of an animal before slaughter to satisfy the EU organic labeling.[1] The decision came after several European countries including Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Slovenia, removed any religious exemption for animal slaughter without stunning.[2] While this … Continue reading :: Commentary :: Organic Labeling: Reconciling Religious Freedom and Animal Welfare in the European Union
Weekend Scholarship Roundup
In "An Unlikely Champion of Women’s Rights under Muslim Personal Law: Mawdudi on Anglo-Muhammadan Law," Islamic Law & Law of the Muslim World eJournal, Shahbaz Ahmad Cheema analyzes Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi's book Huquq al-Zawjayn written during British Raj, which has generated debates in the post-colonial legal landscape of Pakistan on issues related to women's rights in … Continue reading Weekend Scholarship Roundup
Istanbul conference brings postclassical uṣūl al-fiqh into the limelight
The academic study of Islamic legal theory in the English–speaking world has been marked by several landmark gatherings: in Princeton (1983), Alta, Utah (1999), and Istanbul (2016 and now October 2019). The latest, held October 15–17 at Istanbul University, for the first time gave equal attention to the formative, classical, postclassical, and modern periods of … Continue reading Istanbul conference brings postclassical uṣūl al-fiqh into the limelight
Welcome to our November Guest Blogger: David Vishanoff
It's a pleasure to introduce our guest blog editor for November: David Vishanoff, Associate Professor of Islamic studies in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Throughout the month of November, Professor Vishanoff will share a series of posts on a variety of topics related to research, teaching, and the state of the field. … Continue reading Welcome to our November Guest Blogger: David Vishanoff
In the News: China Cracks Down on the Hui Minority
News coverage on crackdowns in China have predominantly covered the plight of the Uighurs. However, efforts to strip the members of the Hui minority in China of their religious heritage are underway. The Hui, who number 10 million, hoped that the state crackdown would not arrive in the Gansu province, as it had in Xinjiang. … Continue reading In the News: China Cracks Down on the Hui Minority