Sohaira Siddiqui, Georgetown University Qatar, recently published "Navigating Colonial Power: Challenging Precedents and the Limitation of Local Elites" in Islamic Law and Society 26:3 (13 June 2019), 1-41. "In 1869, the British allowed Muslims to sit as judges on the High Court. This article explores the legal opinions of the first Muslim judge to be appointed to the High Court, … Continue reading Recent Scholarship: Siddiqui on Syed Mahmood
The Program in Islamic Law at Harvard Law School seeks a temporary Program Administrator for 3 months+. Responsibilities include: coordinating operations as well as staff and students for ongoing web-based and print projects and events. Specific responsibilities include: Coordination of student workers, projects, events: Coordinating the hiring process of RAs; Coordinating RA work and following … Continue reading Job Opening: Program Administrator
Aaron Spevack, SHARIAsource Visiting Fellow 2018-2019, spoke on his current research into legal patchworking (talfīq). He examined debates for and against this legal tool, its role in the creation of sharīʿa-compliant financial instruments within Islamic law, the potential individual harms it can inflict, along with the potential social good. The event was livetweeted and may … Continue reading SHARIAsource Lunch Talk :: The Social Impact of Legal Patchworking (Talfīq)
SHARIAsource U.S. Editor Abed Awad was recently awarded the “Outstanding Scholar Award” by the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association for his work on complex matrimonial cases and Islamic family law. In addition, SHARIAsource Senior Scholar David Powers recently wrote a book review of a new translation of the Qurʾān in Review of Qur’anic Research.
SHARIAsource Senior Scholar Wael Hallaq has written a new book: Restating Orientalism: A Critique of Modern Knowledge. The book “reevaluates and deepens the critique of Orientalism,” and “exposes the depth of academia’s lethal complicity in modern forms of capitalism, colonialism, and hegemonic power.” In addition, Senior Scholar Noah Feldman published an op-ed in Bloomberg News … Continue reading SHARIAsource Senior Scholars’ Round Up: July 23rd
ILSP affiliate Tarek Masoud was featured in The Conversation discussing the compatibility of religion and democracy. The Independent referenced ILSP affiliate Nadia Marzouki in discussing France and its aversion towards Islamic head coverings. Mada Masr, an Egyptian online newspaper, interviewed ILSP affiliate Khaled Fahmy on the Six-Day War on its 50th anniversary in Egypt. ILSP Faculty Affiliates are members of a broader community … Continue reading Islamic Legal Studies Program Affiliates’ Round Up: July 9th
The Toronto Star turned to SHARIAsource Senior Scholar Khaled Abou El Fadl in its article on the creation of Saudi Wahhabism. SHARIAsource U.S. Editor Abed Awad discussed the history of Ramadan in the United States this past month. The National Review referred to SHARIAsource Senior Scholar Noah Feldman's commentary on applying the First Amendment to … Continue reading SHARIAsource Editors and Senior Scholars’ Round Up: July 2nd
In 1986, the Aga Khan IV promulgated a global Ismāʿīlī Constitution, which brought the social governance of the Ismāʿīlī community under one umbrella. It was envisioned as a document that could harness the best in individual creativity while creating an ethos of group responsibility. The Ismāʿīlī Constitution provides an example of the way in which … Continue reading Minority Religious Legal Identity within the Modern Nation State: A Case Study of the Ismāʿīlī Constitution
This post analyzes the self-proclaimed power of Iran’s Guardian Council to strike down previously approved laws due to claims of inconsistency with sharīʿa. In order to contextualize this problem, I analyze a recent opinion of the Guardian Council that nullified the results of recent elections, on grounds that a law legalizing membership of religious minorities in … Continue reading Guardian Council and the Ultimate Power
While the founding fathers of the Turkish Republic erased reference to Islam in the Constitution in early 1928, it was not until 1937 that the term “secularism” was inserted into the text of the Constitution. While this legal move was backed up by full parliamentary support in the form of a constitutional amendment, a closer … Continue reading How Was Secularism Added to the Turkish Constitution? The Varying Rationales
