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Islamic Law (Shari'a) and the Jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2011

Abstract

Although the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been mostly hailed as a victory, Islamic states still regard its application of international criminal-law norms with scepticism. The Rome Statute instructs the Court to apply general principles of law derived from national laws of legal systems of the world including the national laws of states that would normally exercise jurisdiction over the crime but, so far, the Court has relied purely upon Western inspiration and may fail to acquire the legitimacy to establish a universal system. Among the legal systems that are unjustifiably neglected by the ICC is the Islamic legal tradition. This paper argues that the principles of Islamic law are, for the most part, consistent with internationally recognized norms and standards, particularly those enshrined in the Rome Statute, and are on an equal footing with the common and Continental legal systems that are currently employed by the Court in the search for general principles of law.

Type
HAGUE INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNALS: International Criminal Court and Tribunals
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation of the Leiden Journal of International Law 2011

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References

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151 Ibid., at 49.

152 Art. 31(1)(d)(i) of the ICC Statute.

153 Art. 31(1)(d)(ii) of the ICC Statute.

154 See R. v. Conway, [1988] 3 All ER 1025, Court of Appeal, Criminal Division; R. v. Martin, [1989] 1 All ER 652, Court of Appeal, Criminal Division.

155 Art. 33 of the ICC Statute.

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177 Ibid.

178 Baderin, supra note 23, at 32–3.

179 M. H. Kamali, Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (1991), 169.

180 G. Picken, Islamic Law, 4 vols. (2010).

181 Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, Décision sur la confirmation des charges, Case No. ICC-01/04-01/06-803, 29 January 2007, paras. 356–359.

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