Publication date:

27 March 2004

Length of book:

274 pages

Publisher

AltaMira Press

Dimensions:

240x165mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780759106703

Since Europeans first colonized Arab lands in the 19th century, they have been pressing to have the area's indigenous laws and legal systems accord with Western models. Although most Arab states now have national codes of law that reflect Western influence, fierce internal struggles continue over how to interpret Islamic law, particularly in the areas of gender and family. From different geographical and ideological points across the contemporary Arab world, Haddad and Stowasser demonstrate the range of views on just what Islam's legal heritage in the region should be. For either law or religion classes, Islamic Law and the Challenges of Modernity provides the broad historical overview and particular cases needed to understand this contentious issue.
These essays are a useful contribution to the increasing number of debates on Islamic law today. . . . the broad spectrum of themes and the style of writing ensure that scholars from a wide range of disciplines will be able to absorb the main arguments and perceive the specific ethical dilemmas in Islamic legal discourse today.