POLI 2637 Introduction to Islamic Law

This course is class-restricted to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Despite the fact that Islam is the fastest growing religion and will likely surpass Christianity as the worlds largest before this century's end, its singularly important legal structure remains for the most part unknown in the West. Since the secular separation of Church and State does not apply in many majority-Muslim countries, religious law is at the same time a basis of state law and thus of enormous political importance. What is the status of law in Islam? Why is Shariah Law being viewed increasingly as a necessary addition to (or postcolonial corrective of) Western forms of justice? The course will address these questions from both theoretical and practical points of view by moving throughout the semester between the classic religious and legal texts from the Middle Ages to more modern and contemporary material meant to reflect the great diversity and vibrancy of today's Muslim world. Organized like a first-year course in an Islamic Legal Studies Program, a variety of pedagogical techniques (like in-class Sharia Court debates) will be adopted to heighten the relevance of core themes within the Sunni Islamic tradition. Questions related to the status of women, statecraft and warfare, the role of modern technology, and the application of traditional penalties for apostasy, theft, and wine drinking will be addressed. Also offered are case studies from majority-Muslim countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. Primary sacred and legal sources will be assigned along with modern and contemporary studies by Schacht, Coulson, Hallaq, Rabb, and El Shamsy. No prior acquaintance with Islam or the Arabic language is necessary or required.