ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS In a special report, Friday Times journalist Amna Usman described how "surrogacy in Pakistan is deeply stigmatised despite medical benefits, raising ethical, religious and legal debates over lineage, dignity and regulated co…  ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS - In a special report, Friday Times journalist Amna Usman described how "surrogacy in Pakistan is deeply stigmatised despite medical benefits, raising ethical, religious and legal debates over lineage, dignity and regulated compassion."
- In Iran, "the Islamic Republic is strategically leveraging pre-Islamic Iranian nationalism and symbols like the Shapur I statue to consolidate power amid a secular shift and economic crisis."
- In India, "a significant majority of Muslim women want polygamy outlawed, with 85% saying it should be legally invalid and 87% wanting the application of existing criminal provisions against their husbands if they remarry, a new survey has found."
- "Renowned Islamic scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani has strongly criticized the proposal to grant the President of Pakistan lifelong immunity from legal proceedings, calling it contrary to the principles of Islam."
- "The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) together with the Directorate General of Taxation (DJP) have agreed to establish a joint force tasked with reviewing the fatwa recommendations and formulating steps to improve the national tax system to be fairer and more accountable. Chairman of the MUI for Fatwa, Asrorun Niam emphasized that MUI is ready to collaborate in providing religious and ethical guidelines to strengthen the national tax system so that it is in accordance with Islamic values."
CASES, FATWĀS, LEGISLATION ON ISLAMIC LAW - "The Federal Sharia Court of Umm Al Quwain [Dubai] has ruled that a woman must return nearly Dh200,000 to her former husband after finding her responsible for ending their marriage before it was consummated. The Personal Status Court issued the verdict following a complex legal dispute in which both spouses filed for divorce, each blaming the other for the breakdown and demanding financial compensation."
- "The Lahore High Court [Pakistan] has upheld a family court's decree of khula, declaring that once a woman expresses extreme aversion toward her husband and the husband also refuses reconciliation, no court can lawfully compel the continuation of such a marriage... 'The institution of marriage in Islam is based on tranquility, affection, and mercy. When these essential elements are absent, and when the wife asserts extreme aversion while the husband is also unwilling to keep her, compelling continuation of such a union would amount to perpetuating emotional and psychological hardship.'"
- In Pakistan, "the Supreme Court has issued a landmark ruling declaring that no form of divorce, including talaq-e-bidat (instant triple talaq), becomes effective until the mandatory 90-day period under Section 7 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance (MFLO), 1961, is completed."
- In Malaysia, "a counsellor for the eHati family motivation programme was fined RM4,000 by the Syariah High Court after pleading guilty to exposing parts of her body during a family motivation session last year, an act deemed to have brought Islam into disrepute."
- "The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) is conducting an in-depth review of the draft Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) Bill, which includes assessing whether the provisions on the maintenance (nafkah) of infirm parents should be refined." For more content and context on Islamic law in Malaysia, consult our Editor-in-Chief Professor Intisar Rabb's "Legislation and Regulation of Islamic Law in Malaysia" and its appended resource roundup.
- "Recently, the Government of Uganda passed the Insurance (Takaful and Retakaful) Regulations, 2025."
- "The Assam Assembly [India]...passed the Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025, with stringent penalty for those who enter into a second marriage without legally dissolving the first. The Bill has laid out up to seven years' imprisonment for individuals indulging in polygamous marriages, and a harsher penalty of up to ten years for those who conceal information about an existing spouse at the time of a subsequent marriage. The Bill has proposed up to two years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh for those who hide information about polygamous marriages from the police. Clerics or Qazis who solemnise such marriages may also face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to Rs 1.5 lakh." In response, "Lucknow Islamic Centre Chairman Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali...said that the concept of having more than one marriage remains an essential part of Islamic personal law. Speaking to IANS, Maulana Firangi Mahali said: 'The Constitution of India grants every citizen full freedom to practice their religion. Religious freedom is a fundamental right, and every community has the legal right to follow its personal laws in matters related to faith.'"
UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES PIL & Harvard Events: - Workshop: Arabic TEI (Textual Encoding Initiative), April 2–3, 2026
Global Events: - Conference: Faith, Values, and the Rule of Law—An Interdisciplinary Conference, Seton Hall University School of Law, February February 4–5, 2026
- Conference: American Society for Premodern Asia Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, April 24–27, 2026
- Workshop: The Law and Humanities Workshop for Junior Scholars, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, June 8–9, 2026
- Conference: Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities Annual Conference, Chicago, June 17–18, 2026
Opportunities: - Call for Submissions: Journal of Trends in Intellectual Property Research, Volume 3, Issue 2, December 29, 2025
- Call for Submissions: Journal of Legal Research & Analysis, Volume 3, Issue 2, December 29, 2025
- Call for Submissions: Fusayfsa', the Smith College student-led Middle East Studies Journal, January 30th, 2026
- Call for Papers: Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities Annual Conference, Chicago, January 31, 2026
- Call for Papers: Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (MEIS) Graduate Student Virtual Symposium, University of Alberta, February 2, 2026
- Position Opening: Visiting Assistant Professor of Medieval Middle East, Colby College, July 1, 2026
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