This book provides an introduction to the laws of the Middle East, defining the contours of a field of study that deserves to be called 'Middle Eastern law'. It introduces Middle Eastern law as a reflection of legal styles, many of which are shared by Islamic law and the laws of Christian and Jewish Near Eastern communities. It offers a detailed survey of the foundations of Middle Eastern Law, using court archives and an array of legal sources from the earliest records of Hammurabi to the massive compendia of law in the Islamic classical age through to the latest decisions of Middle Eastern high courts. It focuses on the way legislators and courts conceive of law and apply it in the Middle East. It builds on the author's extensive legal practice, with the aim of introducing the Middle Eastern law's main sources and concepts in a manner accessible to non-specialist legal scholars and practitioners alike. The book begins with an exploration of the depth and variety of Middle Eastern law, introducing the concepts of shari'a, fiqh, and qanun, (which all mean 'law'), and dwelling on Islamic law as the 'common law' of the Middle East. It provides a historical introduction to the contemporary Middle East, exploring political systems, constitutional law, judicial review, the laws of tort and obligations, commercial law (including Islamic banking, company law, capital markets, and commercial arbitration); and examines legislative reform in family law and the position of women in the legal system. The author considers the interaction between Islamic and Western laws and includes a bibliography designed for further research into the jurisdictions and themes explored throughout the book.

A systematic survey of fundamental statements of Islamic and Near Eastern law that includes selections from the writings of classic Islamic scholars, contemporary works on legal theory, and modern Middle Eastern codes. No other accessible work brings together so many useful materials on the development of Islamic law, as does this volume based on translations from a variety of languages and numerous sources, all of which are identified. Because of the important role which law plays in Islamic culture, some acquaintance with legal developments is indispensible if one is to gain a rounded picture of Islamic culture.

The first comprehensive survey of the world's oldest known legal systems, this collaborative work of twenty-two scholars covers over 3,000 years of legal history of the Ancient Near East. Each of the book's chapters represents a review of the law of a particular period and region, e.g. the Egyptian Old Kingdom, by a specialist in that area. Within each chapter, the material is organized under standardized legal categories (e.g. constitutional law, family law) that make for easy cross-referencing. The chapters are arranged chronologically by millennium and within each millennium by the three major politico-cultural spheres of the region: Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Anatolia and the Levant. An introduction by the editor discusses the general character of Ancient Near Eastern Law.

How religious barriers stalled capitalism in the Middle East In the year 1000, the economy of the Middle East was at least as advanced as that of Europe. But by 1800, the region had fallen dramatically behind—in living standards, technology, and economic institutions. In short, the Middle East had failed to modernize economically as the West surged ahead. What caused this long divergence? And why does the Middle East remain drastically underdeveloped compared to the West? In The Long Divergence, one of the world's leading experts on Islamic economic institutions and the economy of the Middle East provides a new answer to these long-debated questions. Timur Kuran argues that what slowed the economic development of the Middle East was not colonialism or geography, still less Muslim attitudes or some incompatibility between Islam and capitalism. Rather, starting around the tenth century, Islamic legal institutions, which had benefitted the Middle Eastern economy in the early centuries of Islam, began to act as a drag on development by slowing or blocking the emergence of central features of modern economic life—including private capital accumulation, corporations, large-scale production, and impersonal exchange. By the nineteenth century, modern economic institutions began to be transplanted to the Middle East, but its economy has not caught up. And there is no quick fix today. Low trust, rampant corruption, and weak civil societies—all characteristic of the region's economies today and all legacies of its economic history—will take generations to overcome. The Long Divergence opens up a frank and honest debate on a crucial issue that even some of the most ardent secularists in the Muslim world have hesitated to discuss.

Reprint of first and only edition. Originally published: Washington, D.C.: Middle East Institute, 1955. xviii, 395 pp. A committee from The Middle East Institute, led by George Camp Keiser, Chairman of the Board of Governors, enlisted outstanding authorities on Middle East law to contribute chapters on specific topics. Includes an extensive glossary of Islamic legal terms. Reprint of Volume 1 [all published]. "The American profession should welcome this exhaustive and authentic work edited by two scholars who are authorities on the law of Islam and also students of the law of the United States. These editors have enlisted leading authorities on special subjects and have presented the whole in a manner that should appeal to American interest and understanding. Dr. Khadduri and Dr. Liebesny are entitled to our thanks and to our congratulations. It is to be hoped that Law in the Middle East will be widely read and pondered by the American legal profession and all who believe understanding begets good will." Robert H. Jackson, Foreword, viii-ix. Majid Khadduri [1909-2007] was a Professor of Middle East Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies of The Johns Hopkins University and Director of Research and Education at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D. C. He was the author of several books in English and Arabic on Middle Eastern affairs, including War and Peace in the Law of Islam. Herbert J. Liebesny [1911-1985] was a member of the Advisory Board of the Middle East Journal and author of The Government of French North Africa and Foreign Legal Systems: A Comparative Analysis.

The American profession should welcome this exhaustive and authentic work edited by two scholars who are authorities on the law of Islam and also students of the law of the United States. These editors have enlisted leading authorities on special subjects and have presented the whole in a manner that should appeal to American interest and understanding. Dr. Khadduri and Dr. Liebesny are entitled to our thanks and to our congratulations. It is to be hoped that Law in the Middle East will be widely read and pondered by the American legal profession and all who believe understanding begets good will.

Examining international law through the lens of the Middle East, this insightful study demonstrates the qualitatively different manner in which international law is applied in this region of the world. Law is intended to produce a just society, but as it is ultimately a social construct that has travelled through a political process, it cannot be divorced from its relationship to power. The study demonstrates that this understanding shapes the notion, strongly held in the Middle East, that law is little more than a tool of the powerful, used for coercion and oppression. The author considers a number of formative events to demonstrate how the Middle East has become an underclass of the international system wherein law is applied and interpreted selectively, used coercively and, in noticeable situations, simply disregarded. International Law in the Middle East brings various narratives of history to the fore to create a wider arena in which international law can be considered and critiqued.