ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS Scholars of Islamic law have continued to debate the question of whether the use of cryptocurrencies is permissible under Islamic law. For more content and context on Islamic debates over the permissibility of using cryptocurrencies, consult the contributions by our Research Editor Raha Rafii here and here. Some Muslim rights … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS Borno State Governor (Nigeria), Professor Babagana Zulum, urged the Nigerian "government to establish an institutional framework that would guide the conduct of fatwa." As Saudi Arabia is debating amending its blood money law, some sources have reported that the Shoura Council considering the amendments declined to discuss inserting the following … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
By Raha Rafii Courts in India continue to circumscribe Indian Muslims’ religious rights in tandem with the Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who came to power in 2014, and his ruling political party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In March, the High Court of the state of Karnataka issued a ruling on … Continue reading Snapshot: Karnataka High Court Ruling on Banning Ḥijāb
ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS In reportedly the first case in which a New Zealand court was asked to consider Islamic law, a Wellington court ordered "the payment of a dower set out in a marriage contract solemnized under sharia law in the UAE." A Muslim slaughterhouse in D.C., which started its operations after delays … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
By Raha Rafii Several long-established bodies representing Muslims in India have responded to the Karnataka State Court’s upholding of the ḥijāb ban in government schools in March. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind,[1] the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM),[2] and the All India Personal Law Board (AIMPLB)[3] in Delhi emphasized the negative impact on both religious freedom and Muslim … Continue reading Indian Muslim Organizations’ Responses to Karnataka Ḥijāb Ban in Schools
By Raha Rafii In the last few decades, courts in India have been increasingly settling matters of whether details of Muslim personal law, which include matters of marriage, divorce, and inheritance, continue to be applicable. During the British colonial period, the various religious communities in India had been governed by their own personal status laws,[1] … Continue reading Karnataka High Court’s Interpretation of Islamic Sources: Ḥijāb is Not “Part of Essential Religious Practice in Islam”
By Raha Rafii In December 2021, a dispute broke out at Government Pre-University College for Girls in the state of Karnataka, India, where six students demanded to wear the headscarf/ḥijāb on school grounds.[1] This action set off several protests and counter-protests over subsequent months in multiple districts, including students wearing saffron shawls to assert religious … Continue reading In Interim Order, Karnataka High Court Upholds Government Order Banning Hijab
ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS Following the ruling by the Karnataka (India) High Court that hijāb is not an "essential" part of Islam, advocates have started preparing to take the case to the Supreme Court of India. Islamic scholars have taken issue with the Karnataka High Court's recent ruling on hijāb not being an "essential" … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
SCHOLARSHIP ROUNDUP On Islamic Law: In "Discrimination Between Muslim Prisoners' Kufis and Jewish Prisoners' Yarmulkes Is Unconstitutional" (The Volokh Conspiracy, February 28, 2022), Eugene Volokh (UCLA Law) refers to the recent case of Moore v. Washington, which held that it was unconstitutional that "[t]he policy at issue made a facially discriminatory distinction between Jewish men, … Continue reading Weekend Scholarship Roundup
ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS The hijāb controversy in India, occasioned by a university administration refusing to admit some Muslim students wearing the Islamic veil, has been ongoing, with a court case regarding the matter still pending before Indian courts. The Karnataka government, the Indian state in which the controversy has taken place, has so … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
