Islamic Judicial Review in Practice (2): Strategic Islamization of Laws

By Zubair Abbasi The most significant impact of Islamic judicial review is the incorporation of qiṣāṣ and dīyah in the legal system of Pakistan. During the colonial period, the British … Continue reading Islamic Judicial Review in Practice (2): Strategic Islamization of Laws

Islamic Judicial Review in Practice (1): Decolonization through Islamization of Laws

By Zubair Abbasi In my previous blog posts, I identified Islamic judicial review as the distinctive feature of Pakistan’s legal system. In my next three posts, I shall scrutinize how … Continue reading Islamic Judicial Review in Practice (1): Decolonization through Islamization of Laws

Scholarship in “Plain English”: Joseph Lowry on the First Islamic Legal Theory

By Cem Tecimer Abstract: Joseph Lowry argues that, much like other legal systems, Islamic legal systems, since their formative periods, grappled with the question of how to reconcile competing jurisprudential … Continue reading Scholarship in “Plain English”: Joseph Lowry on the First Islamic Legal Theory

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)

Apostasy and Blasphemy in Islamic Law

By Jiou Park This post will provide a survey of pre-modern Islamic law regarding apostasy (ridda), blasphemy, and the related concept of unbelief (kufr). The exploration of such concepts will … Continue reading Apostasy and Blasphemy in Islamic Law

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