(Program to be published in Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law)
Much contemporary scholarship on Islamic law continues to be influenced by literary or anthropological approaches that downplay its role and importance as law. On this panel we focus on Islamic law as a form of modern law by examining the way in which principles considered to be Islamic are understood and applied in the day-to-day operation of contemporary legal systems. The four speakers on the panel will each discuss a decision by a contemporary national court in which Islamic doctrines are invoked in deciding a criminal case. The aim of the exercise is to examine the construction and use of Islamic law as an element of the professional practice of a bureaucratic national state. This perspective will enable us both to explore the significance of Islamic law as a contemporary legal phenomenon and to begin to chart the development of the Islamic legal tradition as it adapts to the circumstances of the modern nation state.
Business Meeting at Program Conclusion.