Islamic law and the rules of war

IRIN
4 May 201
Islamic law contains a rich but complex set of rules on the protection of civilians. But can that centuries-old canon be reconciled with modern international humanitarian norms?

In this series of reports IRIN explores the tension (and overlap) between Islamic jurisprudence and international humanitarian law: we report on how jihadists are interpreting Islamic edicts , and how humanitarians are using those same principles to further access.

The following four stories released today make up the series:

ISLAMIC LAW AND THE RULES OF WAR

With the majority of today’s conflicts taking place in Muslim countries or involving Muslim combatants, aid agencies are operating – arguably more than ever before – in situations where Islamic norms govern the terrain in which they work. IRIN walks you through some of the issues.

Jihadi jurisprudence? Militant interpretations of Islamic rules of war

Within extremist militant circles is a debate over acceptable behaviour under the Islamic rules of war. This so-called “jihadi jurisprudence” is increasingly studied by humanitarians as practitioners seek to understand the degree to which there is room for even the most radical armed groups to be influenced in favour of the protection of civilians and aid workers. Jihadi jurisprudence? Militant interpretations of Islamic rules of war

CAN ISLAMIC LAW BE THE ANSWER FOR HUMANITARIANS?

In the last decade, aid and advocacy agencies have increasingly tried to understand Islamic law in order to use its humanitarian provisions as tools of negotiation with armed groups in the Muslim world. While the approach has seen some successes, it also raises certain ethical dilemmas.

ROUGH GUIDE TO ISLAMIC RULES OF WAR

There is a renewed interest in translating classical texts about Islamic rules of war into English, adding to the increasing body of work on the intersections between Islam, international humanitarian law (IHL) and the protection of civilians.

IRIN provides this study guide to get you started.

Your feedback as ever is welcome. Please get in touch with us at feedback@irinnews.org
Happy reading!
The IRIN Team

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