By Jonathan Korn This post is part of the Digital Islamic Law Lab (DILL) series, in which a Harvard student analyzes a primary source of Islamic law, previously workshopped in the DIL Lab. Case Summary: In 2014, a Malaysian federal court invalidated an Islamic state law criminalizing the public behavior and appearance of transwomen (people … Continue reading Constitutionalizing Transgender Rights in Malaysia
Weekend Scholarship Roundup
In "Islamic Criminal Jurisprudence on the Offence of Trafficking in Persons: An Interpretation of Fasad fil Arz and Hadd Offence," Islamic Law & Law of the Muslim World eJournal, Muhammad Sohail and Ataullah Khan Mahmood address the topic of Hudood offences and their relationship to Islamic criminal jurisprudence. Raad Mozib Lalon reveals the economic effects … Continue reading Weekend Scholarship Roundup
Adjudicating Jewish Mysticism in Yemen
By Jonathan Korn This post is part of the Digital Islamic Law Lab (DILL) series, in which a Harvard student analyzes a primary source of Islamic law, previously workshopped in the DIL Lab. Case Summary: In 1914, a Zaydī judge in Sanaa issued a ruling binding the Jewish community of Sanaa. A minority of the community had … Continue reading Adjudicating Jewish Mysticism in Yemen
May DILL Student Analyses :: Jonathan Korn
The Islamic Law Blog is continuing to feature Harvard student comments on primary sources related to Islamic law. Our second student editor for the month of May is Jonathan, a third-year JD student at Harvard Law School from Miami, FL. Each month, we feature a series of three comments written by a student in the Digital … Continue reading May DILL Student Analyses :: Jonathan Korn
COVID-19 and Islamic Law Roundup (8/10)
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
Germany's constitutional court overturns blanket ban on religious services during COVID-19, stating that exceptions could be granted. The judgment can be found in German at this link. Brooklyn's "Al-Rayaan Muslim Funeral Services" navigates burial rituals amidst increased demand for services and grief support. France's Council of Imams in Lyon issues a fatwā temporarily allowing burials … Continue reading COVID-19 and Islamic Law Roundup (8/10)
Economic Impact and Consequences of the Plagues on the Medieval Middle East
By Şevket Pamuk * This is a summary of an article co-authored by Şevket Pamuk & Maya Shatzmiller, Plagues, Wages and Economic Change in the Islamic Middle East, 700-1500, 74 The Journal of Economic History 196 (2014). The medieval and early modern Middle East experienced two long episodes of plague. Both the Justinian Plague that began in … Continue reading Economic Impact and Consequences of the Plagues on the Medieval Middle East
:: Pandemic Roundtable :: Introduction
In the age of COVID-2019, we at the Islamic Law Blog have curated a set of essays on the theme of pandemics in Islamic history and thought. Leading scholars and advanced students of Islamic law and history comment on the phenomena of plagues and epidemics across centuries and geographic boundaries, giving us an opportunity to … Continue reading :: Pandemic Roundtable :: Introduction
Mapping COVID-19 Fatwās
Muslim leaders from around the world have issued statements and fatwās responding to the coronavirus pandemic. In an effort led by Professor Adnan A. Zulfiqar, SHARIAsource editor and Associate Professor of Law at Rutgers University, we have collected over 50 fatwās that have been issued over the past month. The full list can be found … Continue reading Mapping COVID-19 Fatwās
Four Conceptual Frameworks on Tradition-Bound Rationality
By Mairaj Syed Intellectual production in the premodern period was largely structured by belonging to a given, usually explicit and named, school. This was especially the case for theology and law. The school identities comprising these two disciplines of thought lasted many centuries, and at a minimum required a school-bound scholar to affirm a basic … Continue reading Four Conceptual Frameworks on Tradition-Bound Rationality
Welcome to our May Guest Blogger: Mairaj Syed
It is our pleasure to introduce our guest blogger for the month of May: Mairaj U. Syed, associate professor of religious studies, director of the medieval and early modern program, and fellow of the College of Arts and Sciences (2020-2023) at the University of California, Davis. He has published in the fields of Islamic law, theology, comparative … Continue reading Welcome to our May Guest Blogger: Mairaj Syed