Islamic Law, Gender, and Politics

Abstract

Throughout February 2007, American University’s Washington College of Law (WCL) sponsored several important forums and conferences as part of the college’s “Founders’ Celebration.” The National Muslim Law Students Association (NMLSA), in conjunction with the WCL’s Islamic Legal Forum, proposed a conference that would look at the intersection of classical and modern conceptions of Islamic law, discourses around gender and Islam, and the larger political questions that often frame these issues. Many Muslim law students were interested in engaging with these themes, which emerge from any discussion on “Islam and/in the West,” or “Islam and Modernity.” Muslim law students and the region’s Muslim community in general, as well as interested non-Muslims, were pleased to hear about WCL’s sponsorship and support for the conference, which was held on February 2-3, 2007. Mohammad Fadel (faculty member, School of Law, Toronto University) opened the first panel, “Islamic Law: An Introduction and Critical Issues,” by presenting the basics of Islamic law. He clarified several misunderstandings held by Muslims by distinguishing between the Islamic juristic and legal tradition and the Islamic theological cum philosophical tradition. One of North America’s leading scholars on Islamic law and with a J.D. from the ...