SCHOLARSHIP ROUNDUP On Islamic Law In Secularism and Islam in Bangladesh: 50 Years After Independence (Routledge, 2023), Abdul Wohab (North South University, Bangladesh) argues that "extremist interpretations of Islam, which ..read more

ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS "Shariah-compliant crypto exchange Haqqex announce[d] a strategic partnership with HAQQ, an ethics-first EVM-compatible L1 blockchain." For more content and context on Islamic debates over the permissibility of using cryptocurrencies, consult the contributions by Raha Rafii here and here. "The Law Commission [of India] has asked the All India Muslim Personal ..read more

ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS Pundits have argued that the Taliban's strict interpretation of Islamic law, including its many restrictions on the rights of women, is making it harder for international aid to reach Afghanistan. For more content and context on the recent developments in Afghanistan, consult our Editor-in-Chief, Professor Intisar Rabb's “Resource Roundup: Afghanistan ..read more

ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS "Qatar’s halal economy has been witnessing massive growth, with the country encouraging core sectors with high growth potential to develop products and services prescribed by Islamic law, a state agency said." "The General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars [of Saudi Arabia] rejected the call for the establishment of ..read more

ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS "Malaysia's new prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, will be contending in parliament with a strengthened Islamist party that espouses a stricter interpretation of [...] Islamic law, a challenge to Anwar's vision of an inclusive society." "Three women and 11 men were flogged [recently] on the orders of an Afghan court after they ..read more

ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS Muslim cryptocurrency enthusiasts in Indonesia have found a way around the recent fatwā issued by the nation's Ulama Council, ruling that cryptocurrency is forbidden under to Islamic law. The Bangladesh House Building Finance Corporation (BHBFC) stated that it has started sharī'a-based financing in the housing sector. The Taliban's implementation of ..read more

"Despite the emergency situation facing Iraq due to the coronavirus pandemic, the people's faith in Imam Hussein means they are not afraid" said one pilgrim in Karbala (Iraq) who had travelled there to commemorate the martyrdom of Hussein, the grandchild of the Prophet, on the day of  'Āshūrā - a commemorative event for Shī'ī Muslims ..read more

Saudi Arabia recently stated that it had begun to allow vaccinated foreigners to visit Mecca and Medina to perform the Umrah pilgrimage. Hefazat-e-Islam (Bangladesh) leaders, who had previously refused to be vaccinated on religious grounds, reversed course and received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine ..read more

Ahmadullah, a prominent Muslim cleric from Bangladesh, issued a fatwā stating that using the laughing emoji to mock people is forbidden under Islamic law. Muslim women in Kenya have lobbied the government to ensure that a woman is appointed to the top Kadhi court adjudicating Islamic law matters. A new Pew Research study found that ..read more

In "Bangladesh: Religious Intolerance in Bangladesh" (Religious Intolerance in South Asia, ed. Farahnaz Ispahani (forthcoming 2021)), using a unique and nationally representative dataset from 2017, C. Christine Fair and Parina Patel (Georgetown University) discuss their findings regarding support for sharī'a among Bangladeshi voters in addition to levels of communal and sectarian intolerance ..read more