COVID-19 and Islamic Law Roundup (3/3)

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Brooklyn mosques close indefinitely as number of positive COVID-19 cases rise. Egypt imposes two week night-time curfew to contain the spread of coronavirus. Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta issues fatwa calling people to abide by medical regulations against COVID-19. Iran's Ayatollah Sistani declares the presence of COVID-19 patients in gatherings haram. Iraqi government and religious leaders campaign … Continue reading COVID-19 and Islamic Law Roundup (3/3)

COVID-19 and Islamic Law Roundup (2/3)

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Countries and communities around the world are working to contain COVID-19 and mitigate its effects. The following digest represents a variety of sources in which law, particularly Islamic law, was invoked in the decision making process. Read the first roundup at this link. Kuwait amends the adhan to urge prayer at home amidst mosque closures. Egypt … Continue reading COVID-19 and Islamic Law Roundup (2/3)

In the News: Egypt Proposes Bill to Address Financial Questions of Climbing Divorce Rate

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Islamic law has official jurisdiction of operation in Egypt, where personal status laws regulate matters such as marriage, divorce, and child custody. Like many such countries, Egypt is trying to reform its divorce law. One of its approaches has been to address the financial ramifications of divorce; Egyptian authorities took steps last month to address the country’s climbing divorce rate. … Continue reading In the News: Egypt Proposes Bill to Address Financial Questions of Climbing Divorce Rate

Recent Scholarship: History of Medicine and Islamic Law

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Earlier this month, the Egyptian online newspaper Mada Masr published a detailed and richly illustrated interview with Khaled Fahmy (University of Cambridge) discussing his recent book, In Quest of Justice: Islamic Law and Forensic Medicine in Modern Egypt (UC Press, 2018). Excerpt: Focusing on changes in medicine and law in the 19th century and their … Continue reading Recent Scholarship: History of Medicine and Islamic Law

Recent Scholarship: Religious Authority and Nationality Laws in Alexandria

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  In his 2017 book, Will Hanley discusses the displacement of qāḍī courts with consular tribunals, and questions of religious authority as they competed with new ideas of nationality at the close of the Ottoman Empire and with the rise of British occupation in Egypt. Identifying with Nationality: Europeans, Ottomans, and Egyptians in Alexandria From … Continue reading Recent Scholarship: Religious Authority and Nationality Laws in Alexandria

In the News: Paternity Lawsuits and DNA Testing in Egypt

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Last month, Equal Times (a Brussels-based news site) published an article discussing the increase in paternity lawsuits and calls for DNA testing in Egypt. The Egyptian government estimates there are 75,000 paternity cases that are slowly making their way through the family court system. According to the article, the judges in these paternity cases have … Continue reading In the News: Paternity Lawsuits and DNA Testing in Egypt

Recent Scholarship: Fadel and Johnson on Constitutionalism

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This forthcoming article by SHARIAsource Senior Scholar Mohammad Fadel is due to be published in an upcoming special issue of the International Journal of Constitutional Law. It describes how the development of laws in Egypt through a “deliberative political process” has been negatively impacted by the country’s top court: “The Sounds of Silence: The Supreme … Continue reading Recent Scholarship: Fadel and Johnson on Constitutionalism

Commentary: Religious Opinions within Civil Discourse

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By Professor Mohammad Fadel (University of Toronto, Faculty of Law) In a recent attempt to control religious discourse in Egypt, the chairperson of Egypt’s Supreme Media Regulatory Council (al-majlis al-aʿlā li-tanẓīm al-iʿlām), Makram Muhammad Ahmad, announced that only 50 people would be permitted to give an opinion (fatwā) pertaining to Islamic law. According to various … Continue reading Commentary: Religious Opinions within Civil Discourse