Dieser von der Gesellschaft für Arabisches und Islamisches Recht (GAIR) veröffentlichte und von Hatem Elliesie herausgegebene dreisprachige Band basiert auf einer in Kooperation mit dem Deutschen Institut für Menschenrechte 2007 in Berlin veranstalteten Tagung anlässlich des 10-jährigen Jubiläums der GAIR. Thematisch widmet sich der Band dem Thema «Islam und Menschenrechte», wozu Wissenschaftler und Praktiker aus den unterschiedlichsten Fachgebieten und Ländern beigetragen haben. This trilingual volume, published by the Gesellschaft für Arabisches und Islamisches Recht (GAIR), and edited by Hatem Elliesie, is based on a conference, on the occasion of its 10th Annual Anniversary 2007 in Berlin, carried out in cooperation with the German Institute for Human Rights. The publication addresses the issue of «Islam and Human Rights», to which academics and practioners of various areas of expertise and countries have contributed.

The study of Islamic law can be a forbidding prospect for those entering the field for the first time. Wael Hallaq, a leading scholar and practitioner of Islamic law, guides students through the intricacies of the subject in this absorbing introduction. The first half of the book is devoted to a discussion of Islamic law in its pre-modern natural habitat. The second part explains how the law was transformed and ultimately dismantled during the colonial period. In the final chapters, the author charts recent developments and the struggles of the Islamists to negotiate changes which have seen the law emerge as a primarily textual entity focused on fixed punishments and ritual requirements. The book, which includes a chronology, a glossary of key terms, and lists of further reading, will be the first stop for those who wish to understand the fundamentals of Islamic law, its practices and history.

The report presents available data on discrimination affecting Muslims in employment, education and housing. Manifestations of Islamophobia range from verbal threats through to physical attacks on people and property. The report stresses that the extent and nature of discrimination and Islamophobic incidents against European Muslims remain under-documented and under-reported.