Book Launch Contemporary Trends in Sharia, With the Hague Secretary General

Join The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) and the His Highness the Aga Khan National Council for the UK to celebrate the launch of Contemporary Trends in Sharia: Critical Debates in Historical Contexts. The book is co-authored by Dr Hadi Enayat and Dr Mohamed M. Keshavjee, jointly published by IIS and Bloomsbury as an open access.The evening takes place in the presence of Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary General of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), who will be the guest of Honour.The format of the event will be a moderated interview with the authors by Mahmood Ahmed, international lawyer, founder AKDN Diplomatic Representative to Uganda (2005-2016) with additional responsibility for Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. He has also served as AKDN's liaison with the East African Community headquartered in Arusha (2012-2016)Description of the book
Contemporary Trends in Sharia explores efforts undertaken by Muslims to foster new approaches to understanding sharia that are apposite for the 21st century. The book critically assesses these efforts and situates them in the broader historical context of developments since the 19th century. These include the transformation of the sharia from a jurist law to state law, the secularisation of Islamic law through the judicial practise of constitutional courts and the marginalisation of the ulema as exclusive interpreters of sharia. The book also challenges misconceptions about sharia in spheres such as gender, criminal justice and human rights and builds on an earlier book called Understanding Sharia: Islamic Law in a Globalised World which explains sharia and the development of Fiqh (jurisprudential understanding) in the context of Islamic juridical history.The focus of this present book [Contemporary Trends in Sharia] is developments in the Muslim world and the Muslim diaspora. Thought provoking, non-sectarian and non-polemical, it highlights the ground-breaking work of seminal thinkers in various fields of law coupled with the authors' analysis and commentary on their work.With a foreword by Dr Christophe Bernasconi Secretary General of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Contemporary Trends in Sharia will be of great appeal to educated lay readers, members of the judiciary, practicing lawyers, heads of NGOs, faith leaders as well as students of law, sociology, political science, Islamic studies and related disciplines. The book is endorsed by leading contemporary Muslim scholars of today.Read the book open access via Bloomsbury.Who should attend
This event is open to civil society, faith leaders, academics, NGO representatives, media, scholars, university students, and members of the Ismaili community. Registration is required.