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Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.

Print Price: $61.50

Format:
Hardback
264 pp.
9 maps, 142 mm x 221 mm

ISBN-13:
9780199458066

Publication date:
February 2016

Imprint: OUP India


Religious Freedom under the Personal Law System

Farrah Ahmed

The personal law system is hugely controversial and the subject of fierce debates. This book addresses a vital issue that has received inadequate attention in these debates: the impact of the personal law system on religious freedom. Drawing on scholarship on the legal reform of the personal law system, as well as philosophical literature on multiculturalism, autonomy, and religious freedom, this book persuasively argues that the personal law system harms religious freedom. Several reform proposals are considered, including modifications of the personal law system, a move towards a millet system, 'internal' reform of individual personal laws, the introduction of a Uniform Civil Code, and a move towards religious alternative dispute resolution.

This book will be of significant interest to students and scholars of law, politics, and gender studies, as well as lawyers and policymakers across jurisdictions interested in multiculturalism, particularly contemporary debates on the legal accommodation of religious and cultural norms.

Readership : Primary market: Institutional libraries and institutions/organizations. Departments of law, judicial academies, policy-makers, and researchers in the field of family and personal laws respectively. Secondary market: Judges, legal practitioners, policymakers, NGOs, academics, students, and researchers of politics, political philosophy and gender studies.

Acknowledgements
Table of Cases
Table of Statutes
List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction
2. Overview of the Personal Law System
3. Religious Autonomy
4. Group Life
5. Self-respect
6. Adequate Religious Options
7. Reform Proposals
8. Conclusion
Appendix A: Overview of Different Personal Laws
Appendix B: Movement Between, and Exit From, Personal Laws
Bibliography
About the Author

There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.

Farrah Ahmed is Senior Lecturer at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne..

Making Sense - Margot Northey and Joan McKibbin

Special Features

  • Addresses the controversial issue of the personal law system in India.
  • Proposes several reforms to the present system.
  • Analyses the impact the personal law system has on religious freedom.
  • Fills the gap in our understanding of the personal law system.
  • Adds on to the debates on Uniform Civil Code and Muslim personal law.