THE RULE OF LAW, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ISLAMIC LAW

The rule of law represents the ‘quintessential prerequisite for human civilization…[whose] importance and value are universally recognized,’ thus aptly begins this remarkable book. The rule of law, and especially the notion of freedom of expression, is a universal which is championed in all cultures and civilisations. However, some western critics cast doubt on whether this value is also sanctioned by Islam in view of the reaction of Muslims vis-à- vis Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses, the Charlie Hebdo affair in France and the violent reaction to Mark Basseley’s short anti-Islam movie Innocence of Muslims. A such, a thorough study of the Islamic view on freedom of expression, which was mainly missing in the academic discourse, needed to be emphasised. The three authors of the book under review, who were co- rapporteurs of the Standing Committee on Islamic Law and International Law of the International Law Association (ILA), have ably undertaken the task of elaborating the Islamic view on this fundamental value through this well researched and argued volume.