Islamic Law and the Making and Remaking of the Iraqi Legal System

63 Pages Posted: 7 May 2010 Last revised: 26 May 2010

Date Written: May 5, 2010

Abstract

This article examines the drafting process of the new Iraqi constitution, which took place in 2004 and 2005 as a result of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. It addresses the role of Islamic law in the Iraqi legal system prior to the invasion and considers how a new constitution may deal with the question and analyzes, based on Iraq’s history, current situation, and the experience of other similar countries, how Islamic law may be retained or incorporated into the new Iraqi legal system. While the constitutional discussion is important, the Article also shows who debates over Islamic law in Iraq have been and will continue to play out at the substantive-law level, where the influence of Islamic law has been felt most tangibly.

Keywords: Iraq, Constitution, Islamic law

JEL Classification: K33, K39

Suggested Citation

Stilt, Kristen, Islamic Law and the Making and Remaking of the Iraqi Legal System (May 5, 2010). George Washington International Law Review, Vol. 36, p. 695, 2004, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 10-14, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1601353

Kristen Stilt (Contact Author)

Harvard Law School ( email )

1563 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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