Islamic Law on the Provincial Margins

What is it about?

Coptic Christians in medieval Egypt frequently made use of Islamic law to handle their affairs rather than their own communal legal institutions. Why did they do so? This article argues that rural Christians came to view Islamic legal documents as more practical and useful in handling their economic affairs. By making frequent use of Islamic law, these Christians pushed their own legal traditions into disuse.

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Why is it important?

This article gives us a picture of how people and institutions of different religions interacted with each other even in a hierarchical, inegalitarian medieval society. It also shows how non-Muslims participated in the establishment of important aspects of medieval Islamic societies.