By Christian Mauder This is part three in a series of four posts on legal culture at the late Mamlūk court. As the rulers of a vast realm in which Islam was the dominant religion, many members of the military elite of the Mamlūk Sultanate (1250–1517) seem to have considered knowledge about Islamic legal norms … Continue reading Enjoying the Law: Legal Riddling at the Mamlūk Court
By Christian Mauder This is part two in a series of four posts on legal culture at the late Mamlūk court. As former slave soldiers (mamlūks) of non-Muslim origin, many members of the military elite of the Mamlūk Sultanate did not acquire a natural familiarity with Islamic legal norms in their childhood and youth. Many … Continue reading Studying Islamic Law in the Mamlūk Barracks
By Christian Mauder This is part one in a series of four posts on legal culture at the late Mamlūk court. Many students of Islamic history are fascinated by the unusual polity that ruled Egypt, Syria, and neighboring regions from about 1250 to 1517 CE. This political entity was dominated by a small elite group … Continue reading Legal Diversity at the Late Mamlūk Court
Islamic Law in the News: Nailah Dean, writer and activist, has introduced her "ISMS Project," comprising a series of images to demonstrate what she terms the "Muslim Marriage Crisis" in an age of "digital, hyper-visual time" that represent sexism, ageism, racism, and colorism. The project represents, in addition to these four "-isms," the Muslim woman's … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
Egypt's fatwā authority, Dar Al-Ifta, issued a new edition of Insight magazine that it publishes in English, which discusses women's rights in Islam. In "What is and isnt' Shariah?," Ekrem Bugra Ekinci (Daily Sabah) states that sharī'a is ultimately an effort by scholars to identify and interpret divine rules, which allows for greater flexibility. UN … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
By Mehdi Berriah This is part one in a series of four posts on the financing of jihād during the Mamlūk period. While the spirit and laws of jihād have often attracted the attention of researchers, this is not the case for its economic aspect, which remains poorly known. It must be kept in mind … Continue reading The Issue of Financing Jihād in Islamic Law: Three Case Studies from the Mamlūk Period
In "Recasting Islamic Law: Religion and the Nation State in Egyptian Constitution Making" (Cornell University Press, forthcoming), Rachel M. Scott (Virginia Tech) examines how Islamic law is reshaped into state law in Egypt's constitutional legal system, with a particular focus on post-2011 developments.
Allan Goodson, a mechanic in southern Utah, alleged that he was harassed by his employer and fired from his job because he converted to Islam. News outlets in the Arab world, particularly in Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, have portrayed the recent dismissal of the prime minister and closure of parliament by the Tunisian … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
Egypt's President Sisi named two new members to the Al-Azhar Council for Senior Scholars, the government institution that is regarded as having final authority to determine whether legislation is compliant with Islamic law. The Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai (IACAD) reported that it received 4,000 fatwā and 2,000 shahāda (declaration of belief … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
A Reuters investigation of Indonesia's banking and finance sector revealed that an increasing number of Muslims employed in that sector are "quitting traditional banks" citing concerns of incompatibility with Islamic law. Former Minister of European Affairs of Portugal, Bruno Macaes, stated that Islam "is part of European history and culture," adding that "it's not a … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
