Centre of Expertise for the Law of Arab and Islamic Countries
One of the central research objectives of the Institute is engaging in a long-term analysis of foreign law. The Centre of Expertise for the Law of Arab and Islamic Countries, currently under the provisional leadership of Dr Dörthe Engelcke, comparatively studies family and inheritance law in Arab and Islamic countries.
The work of the Centre focuses on countries whose family and inheritance law is largely characterized by religious law. In addition to Islamic law, the focus is also on the personal status laws of Christian communities and Kurdish family law. Areas of regional inquiry include the Arab Gulf states, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Afghanistan. The aim of the Centre of Expertise is to conduct a long-term academic investigation of the processes of transformation and reform in Arab and Islamic legal systems. It stands as one of the world’s few research centres examining the law of Arab and Islamic countries from interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives.
The Centre of Expertise is also actively involved in transferring knowledge to legal practitioners and the public. One dimension of this effort is the provision of legal opinions on specific issues to courts and government authorities; in addition, the Centre organizes regular lecture series featuring academics from all over the world, with its own fellows holding lectures, participating in specialist discussions and expert meetings, and organizing professional training events.
The Centre of Expertise also carries out projects addressing current issues, such as the information portal “Familienrecht im Nahen Osten” [Family Law in the Middle East], a project gathering information on the applicable family law in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq.
Lecture Series
Information Portal
The Centre of Expertise grew out of the Research Group “Changes in God’s Law” which was led at the Institute by Nadjma Yassari from 2009-2024.