ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS The United States Supreme Court declined to review Hoda Muthana's petition seeking to reenter the United States, after her passport was revoked for leaving the country to join the Islamic State in 2014. Some experts in the UAE legal system expressed their hesitancy regarding the recent legal overhaul that relaxed … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS A new book titled Female Religious Authority in Shi’i Islam, which brings together contributions that "reflect[] on the roles that women have played in exercising religious authority across time and space" in Shī'ī Islam, has recently been published. The UAE issued its first civil law marriage certificate to a non-Muslim … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS Muslims in America continue to make extended trips to purchase meat that is prepared for consumption according to Islamic law. Mohamad Sawwaf, CEO of Canadian Islamic finance startup Manzil, recently stated in an interview that lack of knowledge on Islamic law is an important setback to the startup ecosystem in … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS Abel Awad, an American lawyer and Islamic law expert, stated that the viability-based reasoning behind the famous U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, recognizing a woman's right to an abortion, imposed one religious view of viability on the American society while marginalizing other religions' view on viability, including that … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
SCHOLARSHIP ROUNDUP On Islamic Law: In "Wearing the Niqab: Muslim Women in the UK and the US" (Bloomsbury Academic, 2021), Anna Piela (Northwestern University) argues that niqāb, the Islamic face veil, has become the ubiquitous symbol of "everything that is perceived to be wrong about Islam," and further discusses how discussions surrounding its permissibility and … Continue reading Weekend Scholarship Roundup
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
The Race Discrimination Commissioner of Australia, Chin Tan, reported national findings suggesting that 80% of Australian Muslims experience some form of unfavorable treatment. According to official statistics from the Mohammad bin Rashid Centre for Islamic Culture in Dubai, more than 2,000 non-Muslim residents took the shahāda (Islamic oath of declaration) in 2021, converting to Islam.
Algerian scholar on Islam, Said Djabelkhir, was sentenced to three years of prison for "offending Islam" in three Facebook posts calling for "reflection" on Islam's foundational texts. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan urged Western European countries to criminalize blasphemy against Islam. Faith-based investing opportunities have grown over the past years, as financial institutions and investment … Continue reading Islamic Law in the News Roundup
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A recent study by polling agency YouGov found that vaccine acceptance in Saudi Arabia and the UAE has increased over time. In a video message to German Muslims, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed regret that Muslims had to celebrate Eid under lockdown conditions and thanked them for their "discipline and understanding."
