Islamic Law and Muslim Minorities

Abstract

In recent years, fiqh al-aqalliyat, or Islamic law for Muslim minorities, has incited a great deal of interest among Muslim scholars. The growth of fiqh al-aqalliyat as a topic of debate is a recognition of the relevance of Islamic law for a considerable number of Muslims living in non-Muslim countries, in particular in the West. It has revealed the complexities that Muslims face in reconstructing such laws in the context of migration and post-migration. Traditional Islamic law lacks provisions for Muslims living permanently in non-Muslim countries. Fiqh al-aqalliyat is an attempt to fill this gap and to reconstruct an Islamic legal theory to deal with questions of Islamic law for Muslims living under non-Islamic legal systems.