The majority of contemporary debates about Islamic law tend to focus on the Sharia law tradition as a subjective doctrine rooted in strict religious code. Recent controversies surrounding "personal status laws," including, but not limited to the rights of women, have served to further this view, characterizing Sharia law as a rigid interpretation of the Qur'an and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammed. Nuanced examinations of the rich history and diverse juridical context of Islamic legal traditions are rare, and little serious effort has been made to find a means of accommodating Sharia law traditions within the treaties, conventions, and institutions that form the foundations of modern international law. Furthermore, extremist Islamic political movements have attempted to appropriate Sharia law for their own ends, imbuing its traditions with an air of theocratic inflexibility incompatible with modern legal systems.

This is problematic. All legal traditions require institutions that can adjudicate consistently, and without institutional frameworks all legal doctrines become abstract, void of the structure needed to interpret the "rule of law" in a predictable way. Since 1945, an interlocking system of international conventions and treaties has provided such a structure for the regulation of relations between states, but representatives from Islamic legal traditions were largely absent during their creation. Consequently, Sharia law today lacks an institutional structure that can provide a predictable and consistent means of creating legal norms. This session, in conjunction with the International Bar Association, will seek to find common ground between the traditions of Islamic and international law and develop a framework for accommodating the diverse heritage of Islamic legal thought within modern rule of law systems. Focusing on international law as a means of neutralizing radical views and creating international dialogue, this session will further attempt to locate areas of substantive legal analysis where Islamic and international traditions can find complementary principles, doctrines and means of adjudication.

The fee for this session is 3,300 EURO. The fee covers the cost of the program, accommodations, and meals.

Limited scholarship funding may be available for those who are unable to pay the full fee (i.e. from developing countries or NGOs). Participants seeking scholarship assistance must submit an application for financial aid to our admissions office.