NewsLaw and Religion Series: Family Law Within A Shari’ah Framework | UP-BGC, Taguig City, 12 March 2018
Ground Floor Lecture Room, Henry Sy Sr. Hall, UP-BGC, Taguig City, Monday, 12 March 2018
BACKGROUND
The UP-Law Center in partnership with the Philippine Center on Islam and Democracy held the second forum of the Law and Religion Series entitled; “Family Law within A Shari’ah Framework,” last March 12, 2018. The forum focused on women’s rights, Shari’ah, and Islamic jurisprudence. The Law and Religion Series is envisioned to promote intellectual discourse among and between lawyers and legal scholars on issues that interface religion and the legal system.
SYNTHESIS
Participants from the UP-Law Center, various government agencies, foreign embassies, international foundations and NGOs, as well as religious organizations, attended the second forum of the Law and Religion series which focused on family law within a Shari’ah framework. The forum was held at the Henry Sy Sr. Hall, UP-BGC, Taguig City. It was a whole day event that aims to educate lawyers and legal scholars on Islamic jurisprudence on marriage and foster care.
Atty. Nasser Marohomsalic gave the opening remarks and laid down his expectations about the forum He emphasized the right of Muslim minority to observe and enjoy Islamic injunctions in a non-Musim majority country.
The first to speak in the event was Dr. Azizah Y. al-Hibri, Esq. , the first Muslim woman law professor in the United States and the founder of KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, a non-profit organization that support the rights of Muslim women worldwide through educational programs, jurisprudential scholarship, and a network of Muslim jurists and leaders. Dr. al-Hibri’s most recent publication, “Islamic Worldview: Islamic Jurisprudence, An American Muslim Perspective, Vol. 1 (ABA Book Publishing 2014) revisits traditional Islamic Jurisprudence in order to develop a modern enlightened understanding of Islam with respect to gender, marriage, family, and democratic governance. The focus of her discussion was on Islamic marriage contract and marital relations.
Next to speak was Dr. Zainab Alwani, the Founder, Program Director, and the first Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at the Howard School of Divinity (HUSD) where she is also the chair of the Master of Arts (Religious Studies) program. She currently serves as the Fiqh Council of North America’s Vice-Chair and spearheads the Orphan Care Project. Dr. Alwani’s discussion centered on kafala, adoption, and foster care from an Islamic perspective.
After every discussion, participants were given time to ask their questions about the topics presented by both speakers which Dr. al-Hibri and Dr. Alwani willingly answered.
Atty. Fides Cordero-Tan, Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law, closed the forum by highlighting the important learnings from both discussions. She reiterated the need for concrete actions and plans on matters that impact policy formulation and legislation towards tolerance and world peace.