The issue of Islamic norms in the public sphere came recently forward in non-Muslim and Muslim societies. It was raised about specific cases including the call to establish an Islamic arbitration court in Ontario following the model of the rabbinic court, the declaration of Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, about the possibility of recognizing non-Christian courts (ie sharia courts) to decide certain matters of family law, the refusal by Minneapolis Somali taxi drivers to take passengers carrying alcohol, the annulment of a marriage in France because the wife was not a virgin, or last but not least the failed endeavour to vote an adultery law in Turkey. Other examples could be added to this non-exhaustive list. Recognizing Islamic courts as suggested by the public statements by the Archbishop of Canterbury raises many questions that touch upon different scales of analysis and imply an interdisciplinary and comparative focus on the various related sub-themes. Interestingly, this “going public” dynamic of Islamic norms correspond to an intensification of discussion over religious rights of individuals living in secular contexts.

This conference proposal entitled Islamic norms in secular public spheres: political problems, legal issues, and social practices aims at merging the two dynamics, on the one hand the “judicialisation” of religion related disputes in secular contexts, and on the other one the “de-judicialisation” of a religion based set of norms often designated under the label of sharia.  By focusing on Muslims and Islam as core object of study, we do not have in mind to consider it as exceptional. On the contrary, this conference wishes to widen the scope of traditional strategies of research on Islam and Muslims by inviting experts of other religious groups (Jews, Sikhs in particular) to confront their expertise.

Co-sponsors: The Robert Schuman Centre, The Carnegie Corporation, The Graduate Theological Union, The Institute of Slavic, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies, Chaire de recherche du Canada en etude du pluralisme religieux et de l'ethnicite (CRSH/Universite de Montreal)