By analyzing legislative and judicial actions in a selection of Muslim and non-Muslim States in relation to the rights of the child in criminal matters, this book identifies the possible harmonization between the obligations of international human rights law (e.g. the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child [UNCRC]) and the criminal justice systems within each State, particularly Islamic law (Sharia).The book features introductory chapters on child offenders in criminal law and Islamic law, and country reports (from rapporteurs) on Afghanistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Spain, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, as well as the UK. Among other issues, the book discusses: the definition of 'child' in criminal law * the rights for child offenders under international law (UNCRC, the Beijing Rules, etc.) * the rights of the child under Islamic regional instruments * Islamic law, as it relates to child offenders * the age of criminal liability * the death penalty * the role of the judiciary in criminal cases within Muslim jurisdictions. Theoretical and comparative research methods highlight that the position of Islamic law on the age of criminal liability and the legal rights of child offenders is nuanced, both through the way various ways Islamic criminal law is implemented and the role of the judiciary in expanding the protection of juvenile offenders.

Drawing on a multitude of sources online and offline, in A Bibliography of Islamic Criminal Law Olaf Köndgen offers the most extensive bibliography on Islamic criminal law ever compiled.

This book offers an exploration of aspects of the subject, Islam and Human Rights, which is the focus of considerable scholarship in recent years predominantly from Western scholars. Thus it is interesting and important to have the field addressed from a non -Western perspective and by an Iranian scholar. The study draws on Persian language literature that addresses both theological and legal dimensions of the theme. The work is also distinctive in that it tackles three areas that have been largely ignored in the literature. It undertakes a comparative study of the laws of several Muslim States with respect to religious freedom, minorities and the rights of the child. The study offers an optimistic vision of the fundamental compatibility of Islam and international human rights standards.

This book, first published in 2006, is an account of the theory and practice of Islamic criminal law.

This research - undertaken from a comparative perspective with a view to identifying any patterns followed by Islamic countries in making declarations and reservations to the main international human rights treaties - measures and analyzes to what extent Sharia affects the ratification and implementation of human rights norms by Muslim States. An analysis of the various roles of Sharia reveals different approaches in the use of Islamic considerations by Muslim States. At an international level, Sharia has always been used upon the ratification of international human rights treaties to limit the scope of the State's engagement. Internally, however, some recent examples of legislative amendments and judicial activities demonstrate that Sharia is and can be used to achieve a better translation of human rights norms into domestic practice.

This book assesses whether a new category of religious actors has been constructed within international law. Religious actors, through their interpretations of the religion(s) they are associated with, uphold and promote, or indeed may transform, potentially oppressive structures or discriminatory patterns. This study moves beyond the concern that religious texts and practices may be incompatible with international law, to provide an innovative analysis of how religious actors themselves are accountable under international law for the interpretations they choose to put forward. The book defines religious actors as comprising religious states, international organizations, and non-state entities that assume the role of interpreting religion and so claim a 'special' legitimacy anchored in tradition or charisma. Cutting across the state / non-state divide, this definition allows the full remit of religious bodies to be investigated. It analyses the crucial question of whether religious actors do in fact operate under different international legal norms to non-religious states, international organizations, or companies. To that end, the Holy See-Vatican, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and churches and religious organizations under the European Convention on Human Rights regime are examined in detail as case studies. The study ultimately establishes that religious actors cannot be seen to form an autonomous legal category under international law: they do not enjoy special or exclusive rights, nor incur lesser obligations, when compared to their respective non-religious peers. Going forward, it concludes that a process of two-sided legitimation may be at stake: religious actors will need to provide evidence for the legality of their religious interpretations to strengthen their legitimacy, and international law itself may benefit from religious actors fostering its legitimacy in different cultural contexts.

The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, through the British mandate and the establishment of the state of Israel, created a reality in which no Muslim legislator existed in the country. Thus, the chief judge—Qadi al Qudat, due to the dire need for reforms in the Sharia' family law and in order to minimize the intervention of the non-Muslim—Israeli legislator in the divine family law, took it upon himself to initiate the reforms. As such, this experience is considered the world-wide pioneerand unique in its scope. The reforms were done in accordance with the Islamic rules of renewal and are derived from the Islamic jurisprudence—sharia' itself. This process was done in two tracks: first, decisions of the High Court of Appeals would be followed by the lower courts as binding precedents. Second, the president of the High Sharia' court issued judicial decrees guidelines to the lower courts, driven by the Maslaha - the public interest - in various matters of Islamic law such as promoting women status, children's rights and the preservation of Islamic sites and cemeteries sanctity.

This book explores a broad range of issues on Islam and international criminal law and justice. Ten authors shed detailed light on the relationship between Islam, Islamic law and Islamic thought and international criminal law.

Established in 1969, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is an intergovernmental organization the purpose of which is the strengthening of solidarity among Muslims. Headquartered in Jeddah, the OIC today consists of fifty seven states from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The OIC's longevity and geographic reach, combined with its self-proclaimed role as the United Nations of the Muslim world, raise certain expectations as to its role in global human rights politics. However, to date, these hopes have been unfulfilled. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Human Rights sets out to demonstrate the potential and shortcomings of the OIC and the obstacles on the paths it has navigated. Historically, the OIC has had a complicated relationship with the international human rights regime. Palestinian self-determination was an important catalyst for the founding of the OIC, but the OIC did not develop a comprehensive human rights approach in its first decades. In fact, human rights issues were rarely, if at all, mentioned at the organization's summits or annual conferences of foreign ministers. Instead, the OIC tended to focus on protecting Islamic holy sites and strengthening economic cooperation among member states. As other international and regional organizations expanded the international human rights system in the 1990s, the OIC began to pay greater attention to human rights, although not always in a manner that aligned with Western conceptions. This volume provides essential empirical and theoretical insights into OIC practices, contemporary challenges to human rights, intergovernmental organizations, and global Islam. Essays by some of the world's leading scholars examine the OIC's human rights activities at different levels—in the UN, the organization's own institutions, and at the member-state level—and assess different aspects of the OIC's approach, identifying priority areas of involvement and underlying conceptions of human rights. Contributors: Hirah Azhar, Mashood A. Baderin, Anthony Tirado Chase, Ioana Cismas, Moataz El Fegiery, Turan Kayaoglu, Martin Lestra, Ann Elizabeth Mayer, Mahmood Monshipouri, Marie Juul Petersen, Zeynep Şahin-Mencütek, Heiní Skorini, M. Evren Tok.

This pioneering scholarly oeuvre evaluates the major comparative philosophy of Islamic international criminal justice. It represents an in-depth analysis of the necessities of creating an Islamic international criminal court, its possible jurisdiction, proceedings, judgments, and sanctions. It implies a court functioning under the legal personality of the International Criminal Court, with comparative international criminal lawyers with basic knowledge of Shariah contributing to the prevention of crimes and impunity at an international level. The morality and philosophy of Islamic justice are highly relevant with reference to the atrocities committed explicitly or implicitly under the pretext of Islamic rules by superiors, groups and governments. The volume focuses on substantive criminal law and three methods of the criminal procedure, namely the inquisitorial, adversarial, and adquisitorial. The first two constitute the corpus juris of civil and common law systems. The third term presents a hybrid of the first two methods. The intention is to enhance the scope of each method of the criminal procedure comprehensively. The volume examines their variations and effects on a shared system of international criminal justice. The inherence of comparable norms in the foundation of Islamic and international criminal law affirms their efficiency in the implementation of the essence of the complementarity principle. This book will appeal to readers who are interested in comparative criminal law, international criminal justice, and Shariah criminal law. It is recommended for course literature.