International Law, Islamic Law, and Islamic Law States

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter explains concepts fundamental to this book: international law, Islamic law, Islamic international law, sharia, and the category of Islamic law states (ILS). The ILS category offers an efficient and clear-cut conceptual vehicle for mapping out the balance between religious law and secular law, and how this balance translates into ILS’ preferences with respect to international conflict management venues. The chapter explains how the ILS category differs from other seemingly parallel concepts or definitions present in the scholarship, such as “Islamic states,” or “Muslim states.” It discusses the characteristics and internal variation within the ILS category across different countries and different schools of Islamic jurisprudence. This chapter also presents an analysis of ILS’ domestic legal systems, elaborating on Islamic constitutionalism, and the relationship between religious norms and secular norms in constitutions and sub-constitutional legal systems. Some features analyzed include holy oath, supremacy clause, and sharia education.