University of Kansas Professor's Textbook on Islamic Law Aims to Foster Understanding

University of Kansas law professor Raj Bhala has been teaching a course on Islamic law, or Shariah, at Fort Leavenworth's Command and General Staff College for several years. His expertise in the field led to the publication of a comprehensive textbook on the subject, which is also taught to students at the KU law school. The demand for such education is growing, particularly in the Department of Defense community, where officers specialize in specific regions of the world and need to understand local culture, law, and religion.

Key Takeaways:

• Raj Bhala, a University of Kansas law professor, has been teaching a course on Islamic law, or Shariah, at Fort Leavenworth's Command and General Staff College for several years.
• Bhala's comprehensive textbook on Islamic law, "Understanding Islamic Law (Shari'a)," covers the entire history and religion of Islam, synthesizing it with the development and practice of Islamic law.
• The book explains the sources of Islamic law and its pertinent specialty fields, including banking and finance, contracts, criminal law, family law, and property.
• Islamic law is now taught at about half of the roughly 200 law schools in the United States accredited by the American Bar Association and many foreign law schools.
• Bhala's book aims to increase understanding of a great religious and legal tradition, distinguishing Islam's true teachings from extremist views and practices.
• The textbook is based on nearly three years of research and 10 years of teaching, and has been used to train law students, legal professionals, and senior American government and military officials.
• Bhala's research assistants included KU law students from Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Kansas.
• The book covers controversial topics such as religious freedom, women's rights, reproduction, and terrorism, and includes case studies on topics like jihad.

Statistics:

• There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world.
• About half of the roughly 200 law schools in the United States accredited by the American Bar Association teach Islamic law.
• Nearly three years of research and 10 years of teaching went into Bhala's textbook.
• The book has been used to train law students, legal professionals, and senior American government and military officials.

Sources:

• University of Kansas press release
• Bhala's book "Understanding Islamic Law (Shari'a)" published by LexisNexis
• Lt. Col. Joe Cieslo, instructor in the department of army tactics at Fort Leavenworth
• Raj Bhala, University of Kansas law professor