The expert witness in Islamic courts
Subtitle: medicine and crafts in the service of law
By: Ron Shaham.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Chicago
Language: eng
Number of pages: 290
ISBN-13: 9780226749334
Subjects: Medical jurisprudence (Islamic law); Evidence (Islamic law); Evidence, Expert; DNA fingerprinting (Islamic law); Courts, Islamic
Description: "Islam's tense relationship with modernity is one of the most crucial issues of our time. Within Islamic legal systems, with their traditional preference for eyewitness testimony, this struggle has played a significant role in attitudes toward expert witnesses. Utilizing a uniquely comparative approach, Ron Shaham here examines the evolution of the role of such witnesses in a number of Arab countries from the premodern period to the present. A truly comprehensive resource, The Expert Witness in Islamic Courts will be sought out by a broad spectrum of scholars working in history, religion, gender studies, and law."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Between a witness, a reporter, and a judge : the probative status of the expert; title: The right hand of Qadis : male experts in judicial practice; title: Agents of patriarchy in the secluded world of women : females as expert witnesses; title: The modern period; title: Continuity and reform : the Egyptian expert system in a comparative perspective; title: Revealing the secrets of the body : litigants, courts, and modern medicine in Egypt; title: From physiognomy to DNA testing : developments in the establishment of paternity; title: Conclusion : Islamic expert witnessing in comparative perspective.