Reasserting the Authority of State: Comment on Asia Bibi v The State

Editor Zubair Abbasi comments on the Pakistan Supreme Court decision for Asia Bibi v. The State. The Pakistan Supreme Court's decision to acquit Asia Bibi of blasphemy charges brought forth questions about … Continue reading Reasserting the Authority of State: Comment on Asia Bibi v The State

Asia Bibi v. The State: Problems of Evidence and Procedure in Pakistan

Guest contributor Imran Ahmed comments on the Pakistan Supreme Court decision for Asia Bibi v. The State. The Pakistan Supreme Court's decision to acquit Asia Bibi of blasphemy charges brought forth … Continue reading Asia Bibi v. The State: Problems of Evidence and Procedure in Pakistan

Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance 1979 (Pakistan)

By Zainab Samantash Introduction/Summary: This Ordinance was introduced and was part of the then President, General Zia-ul-Haqś Islamization campaign, which aimed to bring the law into conformity with Islamic injunctions. … Continue reading Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance 1979 (Pakistan)

Does ISIS Really Follow the Salafī Version of Islamic Law and Theology?

Guest contributor Jacob Olidort critically examines ISIS's claim of adherence to the doctrine of Salafism, a popular orientation among conservative Muslim clerics who attempt to model their actions on a … Continue reading Does ISIS Really Follow the Salafī Version of Islamic Law and Theology?

The Construction and Failure of Islamic Laws of Evidence in ISIS’s State-Building Project

Guest contributor Mara Revkin outlines the legal infrastructure of ISIS. She argues that the movement's barbarism and apparently wanton acts of terrorism belies a self-contained legal system based on Islamic … Continue reading The Construction and Failure of Islamic Laws of Evidence in ISIS’s State-Building Project

Pakistan’s Anti-Rape Laws Bill: Panacea or Posturing?

By Nimra Azmi In March 2015, the Pakistani Senate unanimously passed the Anti-Rape Laws Bill of 2014. (While the Anti-Rape Laws Bill has passed in the upper house, it is … Continue reading Pakistan’s Anti-Rape Laws Bill: Panacea or Posturing?

A Patchwork Pakistani: Gang Rape, Jurisdiction, and the Mukhtar Mai Case

By Nimra Azmi In 1999, Pakistan passed an amendment to the 1997 Anti-Terrorism Act.[1] This Amendment listed gang rape, child molestation, and robbery coupled with rape as terrorist acts under … Continue reading A Patchwork Pakistani: Gang Rape, Jurisdiction, and the Mukhtar Mai Case

The Protection of Women Act vs. the Hudood Ordinance: A Federal Shariat Court Challenge

By Nimra Azmi Pakistan’s 2006 Protection of Women Act (PWA) should have been a victory for progressive Pakistani forces, a definitive end to the 1979 Hudood Ordinances’ draconian reign over … Continue reading The Protection of Women Act vs. the Hudood Ordinance: A Federal Shariat Court Challenge

Rape & the Hudood Ordinance: A Lost Opportunity

By Nimra Azmi From 1979 until 2006, the Zina Ordinance, a subsection of the Hudood Ordinances, governed rape under Pakistani law.[1] The Hudood Ordinances were implemented during the rule of … Continue reading Rape & the Hudood Ordinance: A Lost Opportunity