Talk - 'ISIS and Slavery: Examining Legalities Through the Lens of Islamic Law'

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Talk - 'ISIS and Slavery: Examining Legalities Through the Lens of Islamic Law'

Center for Middle Eastern Studies
February 6, 2017

Part of the 2017 MENAS Colloquium Series:

From MENAS: Nayel Badareen, post doctoral fellow, and Shireen Keyl, Ph.D. assistant staff scientist

For the past century, the world has witnessed an uptick of foreign military interventions in the Middle East region, such as the U.S.-led Iraq invasion in 2003, the U.S. presence in Afghanistan and the current Syrian civil war. Paramilitary groups have formed in Iraq and Syria, the most well-known being the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). This violent group claims that it is the catalyst for ushering in the Islamic Caliphate. They also claim to be implementing Islamic Shari'a by following the example of the Qur'an and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammed. ISIS considers any individual who does not approve of their policies to be an infidel deserving of death or enslavement. ISIS has introduced many laws to the Iraqi and Syrian region under their control, such as imposing a poll-tax (jiziya) on Christians and the enslavement of of Yazidīs females in Iraq.

In their response to the world's condemnation, ISIS maintains that their laws were sanctioned by the Qur'an, traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, his companions and many of the later revered Sunni Muslim religious experts. By utilizing an analysis of Islamic jurisprudence, we contend that the indifference of some of the Islamic states, their religious institutions, and the Muslim ulama as a whole toward human trafficking, domestic servitude and slavery contributes to the persistence of these horrific crimes against humanity. We also argue that some Muslims' favoritism and extreme bias to Islamic Sharīʿa (Divine Law) combined with disregard for Western secular and Islamic codified laws of today allow for the institution of slavery to persist and resurface among extremist groups like ISIS.

When: Feb. 17 at 3 p.m.

Where: Center for English as a Second Language, Room 102

Free and open to the public.

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