From 5 to 7 July 2002 a workshop on 'Scholarship and Activism in Islamic Family Law' was held at the Freie Universitat Berlin, organized jointly by the Interdisciplinary Centre 'Social and Cultural... Show moreFrom 5 to 7 July 2002 a workshop on 'Scholarship and Activism in Islamic Family Law' was held at the Freie Universitat Berlin, organized jointly by the Interdisciplinary Centre 'Social and Cultural History of the Middle East' at the Freie Universitat Berlin (Katja Niethammer, Anna Wurth), the AKMI (Arbeitskreis Moderne und Islam at the Wissenschaftkolleg Berlin, Georges Khalil), CIMEL (Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law at SOAS, London, Lynn Welchman) and ISIM (Annelies Moors). Show less
As a joint effort of the ISIM, the Felix Meritis foundation in Amsterdam, and the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), a workshop on madrasas, or Islamic religious seminaries, was held... Show moreAs a joint effort of the ISIM, the Felix Meritis foundation in Amsterdam, and the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), a workshop on madrasas, or Islamic religious seminaries, was held on 16 May 2002 in Amsterdam. Following the attacks in the United States and the ensuing war in Afghanistan, the perception of the madrasa as a training camp for jihad regained strength and was linked to the debate on the position of Islamic education in the West. The workshop presented a bird's-eye view of the history and role of madrasas in Pakistan, Indonesia and Europe, and addressed a number of related current issues. Show less
The workshop on 'Family, State, and Civil Society in Islamic Communities: Legal and Sociological Perspectives', held in Florence, Italy, from 21 to 25 March 2001, was a follow-up of a previous... Show moreThe workshop on 'Family, State, and Civil Society in Islamic Communities: Legal and Sociological Perspectives', held in Florence, Italy, from 21 to 25 March 2001, was a follow-up of a previous workshop held in Berlin (see ISIM Newsletter, 6, p. 3). Both comprise part of a series of meetings, organized by the ISIM and the AKMI, which is devoted to relations between family, state and civil society in Islamic communities in the Islamic world and Europe. The 'Family, State, and Civil Society' workshop was hosted by the Robert Schuman Centre at the European University Institute in Florence as part of the 2nd Mediterranean Social and Political Research Meeting. The workshop directors were Abdullahi A. An-Nacim (Emory University, Atlanta, Visiting Professor at ISIM) and Laila al-Zwaini (ISIM). Muhammad Khalid Masud opened the workshop. Show less
The workshop on 'Family and Family Law in Asia and the Middle East', convened by ISIM and the Working Group Modernity and Islam (30 June - 1 July 2000) at the Institute for Islamic Studies, Free... Show moreThe workshop on 'Family and Family Law in Asia and the Middle East', convened by ISIM and the Working Group Modernity and Islam (30 June - 1 July 2000) at the Institute for Islamic Studies, Free University of Berlin, aimed at creating a network of scholars and scholar-activists currently based in the West, who employ a social science methodology and perspective in the study of family law, its history, its regional developments and its interpretation by courts. Show less
Students of Islamic law sometimes observe that Islamic law is not law in the proper sense. This observation primarily refers to the distinction between 'jurists law' and 'judge-made law', the... Show moreStudents of Islamic law sometimes observe that Islamic law is not law in the proper sense. This observation primarily refers to the distinction between 'jurists law' and 'judge-made law', the latter being the only proper law. The observation also reflects that our knowledge of Islamic law is derived more from studying the fiqh texts on legal doctrine than from the actual workings of the qadi courts. One may wish to research the actual qadi judgments, but will quickly notice that few critical studies of these judgments are available. Show less
