Sharīʿa Clauses in Constitutions of the Muslim World: Where Did They Come From? What Do They Mean? This week focuses on the meaning of Islamic constitutionalism — the practice in some Muslim-majority countries of including Islamic law (or sharī ͑a) as a part of state law, together with rights and structures that borrow from American and European constitutions. Alicia Daniel reviews senior scholar Clark Lombardi’s article, “Constitutional Provisions Making Sharīʿa ‘A’ or ‘The’ Chief Source of Legislation: Where Did They Come From? What Do They Mean? Do They Matter?” Called “sharīʿa clauses,” these provisions typically name some undefined version of Islamic law as “a chief source” or “the chief source” of national state law. Although the phrasing of these clauses seems quite similar, aside from the use of “a” or “the,” some scholars and government officials have ascribed special significance to the differences between them. But the history and interpretation of these sharīʿa clauses reveals otherwise. Moreover, examination of these clauses historically and in view of court precedents from the constitutional courts interpreting each, suggests important insights into ways in which sharīʿa clauses interact with liberal ideas about governance and about the role of religion in law in Muslim-majority countries that officially recognize some aspect of Islamic law. Read more. Image credit: The National (UAE)
Islamic Finance: New Developments in Morocco’s Sharīʿa-Compliant Banking Morocco editor Ari Schriber recently interviewedNour-Eddine Qaouar, a sharīʿa auditor at Dar Assafaa, the Islamic window of Attijariwafa Bank in Morocco. The interview sheds light on Morocco’s recent efforts to develop a system of sharīʿa-compliant banking. The interesting feature of Morocco’s attempts is that it must confront Issues unique to its preferred school of law, Mālikism, with the other main Islamic finance systems (in SE Asia and in the Gulf), which tend to adopt the interpretations of other Islamic legal schools of how a sharīʿa-compliant financial system should look. Read more. Image credit: Morocco News
Circulaire Bank al-Maghrib The shari’a board of the Central Bank of Morocco issued a new memorandum (circulaire) in January 2017 with a diverse set of fatwās and regulations governing Islamic financial instruments in Morocco. This new memorandum follows a recent practice of The Central Bank, which has been gradually increasing the rate at which it issues such memoranda since the Participatory Finance Law 103.12 was issued in 2015 in favor of Islamic finance industry. See the document. Image credit: Middle East Confidential
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Masharti ya Sharia katika Katiba za Ulimwengu wa Kiislamu: Yalitoka wapi? Zina maana gani? "Hii ni kwa sababu sheria za kiislamu (shari'a) ni sehemu ya sheria za serikali, pamoja na haki na muundo ambao unakopwa kutoka kwa katiba za Marekani na Ulaya.""" Alicia Daniel anakagua makala ya msomi mwandamizi Clark Lombardi, <unk>Masharti ya Katiba Yenye Kufanya Sharī<unk>a <unk>A<unk> au <unk>Chanzo Kikuu cha Sheria: Walitoka wapi? Zina maana gani? Je, zina umuhimu? <unk> Zinaitwa <unk>sharī<unk>a vifungu,<unk> masharti haya kwa kawaida jina baadhi ya toleo undefined ya sheria ya Kiislamu kama <unk>mwanzo mkuu<unk> au <unk>mwanzo mkuu<unk> wa sheria ya serikali ya kitaifa. Ingawa maneno ya vifungu hivi yanaonekana kuwa sawa, mbali na matumizi ya <unk>a<unk> au <unk>the<unk>, wasomi fulani na maafisa wa serikali wametoa umuhimu maalum kwa tofauti kati yao. Lakini historia na tafsiri ya vifungu hivi vya sharia hufunua kinyume chake. Zaidi ya hayo, uchunguzi wa vifungu hivi kihistoria na kwa kuzingatia kesi za mahakama kutoka mahakama za kikatiba zinazotumia kila moja, zinaonyesha ufahamu muhimu juu ya njia ambazo vifungu vya shariah vinaingiliana na mawazo ya uhuru juu ya utawala na juu ya jukumu la dini katika sheria katika nchi za Waislamu ambao wanatambua rasmi kipengele fulani cha sheria ya Kiislamu. Soma zaidi. "Mwandishi wa jarida la National Islamic Finance: New Developments in Morocco Sharia-Compliant Banking, Ari Schreiber, hivi karibuni alihoji Noor-Eddine Qawwar, mhasibu wa Sharia katika Dar As-Shafi'a, madirisha ya Kiislamu ya Benki ya Attijariwafa nchini Morocco.""" Mahojiano hayo yanaangazia juhudi za hivi karibuni za Morocco za kuendeleza mfumo wa benki inayofuata sheria za Sharia. "Marafiki wa Morocco wanajaribu kuimarisha sheria za kiislamu katika nchi zao, na ""Malikism"" ni mfumo wa kifedha wa Kiislamu wa kusini mashariki mwa Asia na Ghuba, ambao unaelekea kupitisha tafsiri za shule nyingine za kisheria za Kiislamu za jinsi mfumo wa kifedha unaolingana na Sharia inapaswa kuonekana." Soma zaidi. "Mwaka 2017 baraza la sheria la Benki Kuu ya Morocco lilitoa ""mkataba mpya"" na seti mbalimbali ya fatwa na kanuni zinazosimamia vyombo vya kifedha vya Kiislamu nchini Morocco." "Makubaliano hayo yanafuata utaratibu wa hivi karibuni wa Benki Kuu, ambayo imekuwa ikiongeza hatua kwa hatua kiwango cha kutoa makubaliano kama hayo tangu sheria ya ""Mashirika ya Fedha"" ilitolewa mnamo 2015 kwa niaba ya sekta ya fedha ya Kiislamu." Tazama hati hiyo. Mikopo ya picha: Mashariki ya Kati ya siri Angalia jarida kamili.