"The place of Islam in constitutions invites fierce debate from scholars and politicians alike. Many of these debates assume an inherent conflict between constitutional Islam and 'secular' values of liberal democracy and human rights. Using case studies from several Muslim-majority states, this book surveys the history and role of Islam in constitutions. Tracing the origins of constitutional Islam, Dawood Ahmed and Muhammad Zubair Abbasi argue that colonial history and political bargaining were pivotal factors in determining whether a country adopted Islam, and not secularism, in its constitution. Contrary to the common contention that the constitutional incorporation of Islam is generally antithetical to human rights, Ahmed and Abbasi also show that Islam has not only been popularly demanded and introduced into constitutions during periods of 'democratisation' and 'modernisation', but also that constitutional Islamisation has frequently been accompanied by an expansion in constitutional human rights"--

Dawood Ahmed is a research fellow at the Comparative Constitutions Project and has worked with the United Nations and the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law on constitutional design projects. He has published several journal articles on public international law and constitutional Islam and has authored opinion pieces for the popular press.

Introduction; Part I. 1. Islamic constitutionalism: origins and present; 2. What is an Islamic constitution?; Part II. 3. Constitutional Islamisation and Islamic supremacy clauses; 4. Case studies; Part III. 5. Islamic supremacy clauses and rights ¿ Islamic review in practice; Conclusion.