Crime and Punishment in Islamic Law
Theory and Practice from the Sixteenth to the Twenty-First Century

This book, first published in 2006, is an account of the theory and practice of Islamic criminal law.

Rudolph Peters (Author)

9780521796705, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 13 February 2006

232 pages, 3 maps
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.37 kg

'This is the right book at the right time. … The reader will not find a clearer account of the fundamental Islamic doctrines of crime and punishment. …should be read not only by academics, but equally by journalists and other commentators who choose to write or broadcast on the subject of crime and punishment in Islamic law.' Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies

Rudolph Peters' book, first published in 2006, is about crimes and their punishments as laid down in Islamic law. In recent years some of the more fundamentalist regimes, such as those of Iran, Pakistan, Sudan and the northern states of Nigeria have reintroduced Islamic law in place of western criminal codes. Peters gives a detailed account of the classical doctrine and traces the enforcement of criminal law from the Ottoman period to the present day. The accounts of actual cases which range from theft, banditry, murder, fornication and apostasy shed light on the complexities of the law, and the sensitivity and perspicacity of the qadis who implemented it. This is the first single-authored account of both the theory and practice of Islamic criminal law. It will be invaluable for students, and scholars in the field, as well as for professionals looking for comprehensive coverage of the topic.

Acknowledgements
Maps
1. Introduction
2. The classical doctrine
3. The implementation of Islamic criminal law in the pre-modern period: the Ottoman Empire
4. The eclipse of Islamic criminal law
5. Islamic criminal law today
6. Conclusion
Glossary of technical terms
Bibliography
Suggestions for further reading
Index.

Subject Areas: Islamic law [LAFS], Islamic studies [JFSR2], Islam [HRH], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], Asian history [HBJF], General & world history [HBG]