This course aims to introduce the participants to the Islamic law of armed conflict and how it relates to the current conflicts in Muslim contexts. It examines the rules regulating the use of force during both international and non-international armed conflicts under classical Islamic law. Classical Islamic rules providing protection to certain persons and objects and those regulating certain means and methods of warfare are examined in order to find out, first, the impact/challenges surrounding their application in the current armed conflict situations and, second, their compatibility with the international humanitarian law rules.
The course discusses the distinction between the use of legitimate force and terrorism (both domestic and international) under Islamic law. It analyses the development of the classical Islamic public international law framework and its impact on the issues of the Islamic jus ad bellum and the jurisdiction of Islamic law. The course starts with identifying and defining the Islamic law key concepts, sources, and schools in order to familiarize the participants with such a complex and highly technical legal system and to help them understand the extent of its contemporary application.
A downloadable flyer is available here.
By the end of the sessions, participants will be able to:
- Explain key terms of Islamic law and Islamic law of armed conflict.
- Examine the development of the Islamic jus ad bellum doctrine.
- Assess the impact of the classical Islamic regulations on the use of force on the current armed conflicts in Muslim contexts.
- Distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate use of force under Islamic law.
Dr Ahmed Al-Dawoody is the legal adviser for Islamic law and jurisprudence at the ICRC in Geneva. He has also been teaching at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, since 2018. Prior to joining the ICRC, he was an Assistant Professor in Islamic Studies and Islamic law and jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. He was the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies for the Institute for Islamic World Studies and the coordinator of the MA program in Contemporary Islamic Studies at Zayed University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
He taught in Egypt, the USA, the UK, the UAE and Switzerland. He earned his PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK; his MA from Leiden University, the Netherlands; and BA from Al-Azhar University, Egypt. He has published more than three dozen articles and book chapters on Islamic Law and is the author of The Islamic Law of War: Justifications and Regulations (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011).
- Wednesday 29 July, 12:00 to 13:00 – Introduction
- Monday 3 August, 12:00 to 14:00
- Monday 10 August, 12:00 to 14:00
- Wednesday 12 August, 12:00 to 14:00
- Monday 17 August, 12:00 to 14:00
- Wednesday 19 August, 12:00 to 14:00
- Monday 24 August, 12:00 to 14:00
- Wednesday 26 August, 12:00 to 14:00
Please send an email to digital.academy@geneva-academy.ch with a CV and a motivation letter letter expressing your interest in the specific course.
Selected applicants will receive a confirmation of acceptance. To secure their place, accepted participants are required to pay a non-refundable deposit of CHF 100.
Please note that this course is subject to a minimum of 10 participants. If this minimum is not reached two weeks prior to the start date, this course will not be delivered and all registered participants will receive a full refund of the deposit. Places are limited to 25 participants, and therefore early application is strongly encouraged.
CHF 950.
A discount of CHF 100 is available for students and alumni of the Academy, UNIGE, IHEID, and individuals who have previously participated in our trainings or educational activities.