Labeeb Ahmed Bsoul. International Treaties (Mu'ahadat) in Islam: Theory and Practice in the Light of Islamic International Law (Siyar) according to Orthodox Schools.

• Position: BOOKS IN BRIEF, Spring 2008 - Book review

Labeeb Ahmed Bsoul. International Treaties (Mu'ahadat) in Islam: Theory and Practice in the Light of Islamic International Law (Siyar) according to Orthodox Schools. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 2008, 216 pages. Paper $32.00.

There is a neglect and little attention given to Islamic international law. Bsoul's study seeks to explain Islamic legal theory regarding treaties with non-Muslims. It aims at integrating the Islamic treaty system into the body of modern international law and contributes to better understanding conflicts between Muslim and non-Muslim countries. Its focus is exclusively on the formulations of treaties and their legal aspects. Much of the information used in analysis was obtained from original sources. Secondary sources about the opinions of modern scholars in Islamic law are also used.

Bsoul provides a historic evolution of Islamic law of nations, early usage, and its nature. He examines further the theoretical bases for treaties in Islamic law. He explores how Muslim jurists go into the legalities of the Muslim-dhimmi relationship in every aspect of the legal status of non-Muslims within the frontiers of their nations. He shows how peaceful relations is an Islamic principle and at the heart of the Muslim umma. Islamic law is unique in the protections offered to...