Welcome! We are pleased to announce the 2024-2025 PIL-LC Research Fellow, in collaboration with the John W. Kluge Center at the The Library of Congress, Dr. Bahman Khodadadi! Khodadadi specializes in Islamic law and Middle Eastern Studies, with a particular focus on Shīʿī Islamic law. His current research interests span Iranian studies, sociology of law, Islamic legal history, criminal law theory, and politico-juridical dynamics within Islamic law jurisdictions. He completed his PhD, “On Theocratic Criminal Law,” at the University of Münster in Germany in 2021, where he graduated with the highest distinction (summa cum laude). His forthcoming monograph will be published soon by Oxford University Press. Khodadadi’s academic achievements have garnered recognition, including the prestigious “Harry Westermann Award” for the best doctoral dissertation at the University of Münster, along with two DAAD awards in 2016 and 2023. Khodadadi served as a research associate at the Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization at Yale Law School from 2023 to 2024. From 2015 to 2023, he was actively involved as a member of the Excellence Cluster: Religion and Politics in Germany, collaborating on various projects. He is an author and lecturer, with numerous publications and translated articles, as well as lecture engagements across several European countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Ireland.

CONTENT: Primary Sources on Islamic Law in India One aim of SHARIAsource is to provide access to primary sources of Islamic law to support research . The portal features a Country Profiles special collection that offers succinct overviews and resources for each country’s legal history, institutional structures, and legal status of Islamic law (sharīʿa), including India. This Country Profile provides a basic overview of the legal history and institutional structures of India, based on research produced by GlobaLex at NYU Law School and the Library of Congress. Although Islamic law has no legal status under India’s Constitution, you can explore over 50 primary sources pertaining to India on our portal today!

CONTEXT: Interview with PIL Writing Prize Winner  Congratulations to Hacer (Berra) Akcan (JD ‘24), the recipient of the Program in Islamic Law Writing Prize for her paper “Text, Image, and Ideology: Depictions of Law Through Indian Art History.” The Dean’s Office, in conjunction with the Program, awards this prize annually to the Harvard Law School student who has written the best paper in the field of Islamic legal studies or at the intersection of Islamic law and related fields during the current academic year. To learn more about Berra’s path to becoming a lawyer, her path to and time at Harvard, and the road going forward, and what she likes to do for fun, check out this interview with her on the blog!