New Course on the Islamic Law of Armed Conflict

12 February 2018

Students of our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law will have the opportunity, during the Spring semester, to follow an optional course on the Islamic law of armed conflict.

Given by Dr Ahmed Al-Dawoody, an expert on the subject and the current Legal Adviser for Islamic Law and Jurisprudence at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), this new course will introduce our students to the Islamic law of armed conflict and how it relates to the current conflicts in Muslim contexts.

It will notably examine the rules regulating the use of force during both international and non-international armed conflicts under classical Islamic law, as well as classical Islamic rules providing protection to certain persons and objects and those regulating certain means and methods of warfare. The course will discuss the impact/challenges surrounding their application in current armed conflict situations and their compatibility with international humanitarian law.

The course will also address the distinction between the use of legitimate force and terrorism (both domestic and international) under Islamic law and analyse 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.

‘Several current armed conflicts are taking place in places where Islamic law is a reference. It is therefore crucial for our students to be able to address and deal with these contemporary challenges’ underlines Robert Roth, Director of the Geneva Academy.

External Participants

This course is also open to a limited number of external participants:

• Students enrolled at the University of Geneva or at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies can register for free
• Professionals – diplomats, legal advisers, judges, NGO staff, human rights advocates, media specialists, professionals working in emergency situations, UN staff and staff from other international organizations – who want to deepen their expertise in this specific issue can also register (cost: CHF 1,150)

Interested participants can register online until 1 March 2018.