RELEVANCE OF ISLAMIC LAND LAW FOR POLICY AND PROJECT DESIGN

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RELEVANCE OF ISLAMIC LAND LAW FOR POLICY AND
PROJECT DESIGN

• M. SIRAJ SAIT
• University of East London, UK
• Conference on Land Policy and Administration
• The World Bank, Washington DC
• 14-15 February 2008

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CAVEATS

• Islamic law - not for promotion, only reality
  check
• No romantic view select beneficial principles
• Not a substitute for generic tools, same
  standards
• No automatic application - where appropriate
• Not seen in isolation alongside custom, formal
  law
• Can/must harmonise with international standards
  

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STRUCTURE OF PRESENTATION

• INTRO Potential and Risks of engaging Islamic
  principles
• EXPERIENCE Islam in the fields of Environment,
  Finance
• PROGRESS GLTN Islamic Land Tools Initiative
• CHALLENGE How to engage Islamic land law
• CASE STUDY Muslim Womens Equal Property Rights
• STRATEGIES Road Map for Islamic land law

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RATIONALE

• 1.2 billion Muslims (35/ 400 million poor)
• Pragmatic enhancement of knowledge and capacity
• Islamic law still expanding, so help demystify
• Impacts land admin/management, land tenure etc.
• Enhance legitimacy, ownership, sustainability
• Potential for innovative, authenticated tools

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RISKS

• Islamic law- Outdated, rigid, complex norms?
• Unravel positive universal standards?
• Exclude secular, moderate actors?
• Obstruct international actors?
• Could undermine womens rights?
• Uncertain results, difficult to evaluate?

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ISLAM IN OTHER FIELDS
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ISLAMIC KNOWLEDGE HELPS

• Islamic law legal Pluralism (Indonesia)
• legislative reform -Mudawwana (Morocco)
• 'judicial activism' through ijtihad (Bangladesh)
• Activism -Womens rights breakthrough (Iran)
• Islamic dispute resolution- Mogadishu/ Oyo
  (Nigeria)
• Revival of Waqf across the globe (Kuwait)

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FAITH AND ENVIRONMENT

• Faith two-thirds population, 7 land, 54
  schools
• 1980s- WWF invites 5 faiths for environment
• Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and
  Judaism
• Each Faith has own statement, programme but
  interfaith too
• 1995 - Alliance of Religions and Conservation
  (ARC), 6
• 2000-2016 World Bank, UN, BBC involved etc.

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ISLAM AND ENVIRONMENT

• Environmental as application of IsL- Mosques,
  Schools
• Community driven Village Conservation
  Agreements (Indonesia)
• Africa Muslim Environment Network (AMEN)-
  Interfaith secular
• micro-finance, waqf (endowment) and zakat
  (charity)
• IFEES CARE Zanzibar conservation zone
  (Tanzania)
• Enthusiastic multi-stakeholders, empowerment

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ISLAMIC FINANCE

• Starts- small philanthropic and commercial local
  and national initiatives
• Resistance feel good only, not sustainable, too
  complex
• More than prohibition of interest, towards just
  equitable society
• Now USD180 billion dollars today, 15 growth p.a.
  global, microfinance
• West now offers Islamic finance cross
  fertilising Islamic conventional
• Sharia advisors, non-Muslims experts too. WB on
  regulation governance

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GLTN ISLAMIC TOOLS INITIATIVE

• GLTN pro-poor, gendered, affordable, scaleable
  tools
• Gender, grassroots, governance, post-conflict,
  age etc.
• Cross-cultural, engages customary and faith based
• Select Islamic tools thru rigorous process
  integrate
• Islamic tools small component, began 2004 with
  study

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FINDINGS OF ISLAMIC RESEARCH

• Islamic is distinctive, but varied in practice
• Range of empowerment strategies
• Can support security of tenure for landless,
  urban poor, women and squatters etc.
• ijtihad (reasoning), maslaha (public interest)
  and adl (justice) for tool approaches, land
  governance, human rights, empowerment

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UN-HABITAT ISLAMIC RESEARCH
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PROGRESS

• Wide stakeholder consultations support the
  initiative
• Cairo Initiative on Islamic Land Tools (2005)
• Asks UN-HABITAT and GLTN partners to explore
  Islamic tools
• Support from Al Azhar, States, civil society
• East London Guiding Principles on Islamic Land
  Tools (2007)
• Ongoing work dissemination, training module,
  Technical Advice

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ISLAMIC LAND LAW

• Maqasid al Sharia Property Rights are key
• But.. no unified field of Islamic land law

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FINDING ISLAMIC LAW

• Land analysis/country studies custom Islamic
  different
• 57 countries- Islamic socio-historical impacts on
  contemporary
• Islamic web of tenure - occupation, use, usufruct
  and full ownership
• Women, urban poor, squatters, slum dwellers,
  minorities
• Range of state, religious, customary and civil
  society mediums
• maslaha (public interest) for pro-poor property
  rights

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EMPOWERING MUSLIM WOMEN

• Inheritance Women get half of male,
  justifications
• Nothing that Women do not have EQUAL property
  rights
• Right to acquire, utilise, transfer property,
  irrespective of status
• Compensatory scheme gift, waqf, dower (waqf),
  maintenance etc
• How to use Islamic law for Womens empowerment
• Example of how Islamic law is different from
  patriarchal/customary

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LESSONS FROM OTHER FIELDS

• Knowledge creation how Islamic land law can
  empower
• Harmonisation between Islamic and universal
  (secular) goals
• Diverse Muslim and non-Muslim stakeholders
  involved
• Developing networks through dialogue, common
  agendas
• Brings together international community, State
  and civil society

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LOOKING AHEAD

• Early stages yet on knowledge, capacities or
  networks
• Too big for any one organisation- needs
  expertise, resources
• Moving from generalised to practical application
• Identify country and thematic priorities
• Islamic tool methodology for rigorous
  professional process
• Inclusive, focused and non-ideological
  multi-stakeholding- AMEN!