No legal system in the world has aroused as much public interest as Sharia. However, the discourse around Sharia law is largely focussed on its development and the theories, principles and rules that inform it. Less attention has been given to studying the consequences of its operation, particularly in the area of Islamic criminal law. Even fewer studies explore the actual practice of Islamic criminal law in contemporary societies. This book aims to fill these gaps in our understanding of Sharia law in practice. It deals specifically with the consequences of enforcing Islamic criminal law in Pakistan, providing an in-depth and critical analysis of the application of the Islamic law of Qisas and Diyat (retribution and blood money) in the Muslim world today. The empirical evidence adduced more broadly demonstrates the complications of applying traditional Sharia in a modern state.
Tahir Haider Wasti, PhD (2005) in Law, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London has practiced law for a decade in Pakistan. His cases have been reported in various law journals. Presently he practices as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in London and teaches Islamic law at the Islamic College of Advanced Studies.
"Wasti’s book is invaluable in that it opens up the mind to various aspects of Islam and helps in furthering the discourse about a religion that seems to be currently in the eye of the storm." – Ayesha Siddiqa, in:
Newsline Magazine
All those interested in Sharia and the applications of Islamic laws in the contemporary world, including lawyers, politicians, academics, journalists and Human Rights activists concerned with Muslims and Islamic States.