Public Lecture: Shari’a and the rule of law

The T.M.C Asser Instituut has the pleasure to invite you to attend a public lecture by Laila Al-Zwaini, Dutch-Iraqi arabist and jurist, on Shari’a and the rule of law. The lecture takes place within the framework of the MATRA South Administration of Justice training programme. This training programme, developed and delivered by the Asser Institute, is sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and aims at strengthening the institutional capacity of the judiciary in these countries and assisting in enhancing the rule of law and its constitutional safeguards. 

Laila Al-Zwaini is a Dutch-Iraqi arabist and jurist, specialised in classical and modern shari`a, Arab tribes and customs, legal pluralism, rule of law, state formation, and madaniya (‘civilism’) in the Arab and Muslim world, with particular expertise in Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Egypt. Between 2007 and 2009, Ms Al-Zwaini headed the Rule of Law Unit of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. From 2001-2005 she co-directed the action-research project “Rights at Home” for the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (Leiden). She currently works as an independent scholar-activist, lecturer, and international advisor. Her publications include The Rule of Law in Yemen: Prospects and Challenges (2012), Legal Pluralism in the Arab World (1999), and A Bibliography of Islamic Law, 1980-1993 (1994). 

The lecture is open to the public and will address the nexus between Shari’a and the rule of law in the legal systems and practices of Arab countries. Ms Al-Zwaini will look at the tensions between incorporating international standards within the Shari’a-based constitutions and legal practices of these countries. She will also explore avenues towards developing a locally and globally shared rule of law culture. The lecture is followed by a discussion, moderated by Dr Tamara Takacs, Senior researcher at the T.M.C Asser Instituut. 

Registration is closed!

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