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Muslim Personal Law

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  • First Online:
Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Indian Religions ((EIR))

  • 25 Accesses

Synonyms

Constitution; India; Islamic law; Religious rights; Rule of law; Self-determination; Shah Bano; Shari ‘at; Women

Definition

The article examines the development of the legalism of Personal law and provisions of community rights for disparate communities in modern India and the role of religion and communal politics in their perpetuation. The case study undertaken here is specifically the Muslim community’s constitutionally sanctioned Personal law (MPL). MPL has not been without criticisms both from outside and within the community, particularly in respect of gendered disadvantages that arise within the provisions safeguarding the practices, which cover marriage, divorce, alimony, inheritance, custody, succession, adoption, and so forth.

Islam and Muslims in India

India’s population is brimming at around 1.22 billion. Each year it adds a population from new births and migration equivalent to the size of Australia’s population, that is, some 20 million. The majority of India’s...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Letters and Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Purushottama Bilimoria

  2. School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, University of Melbourne and Deakin University, Victoria, Australia

    Purushottama Bilimoria

  3. Formerly Research Associate, Monash Asia Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Renuka Sharma

Authors
  1. Purushottama Bilimoria
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  2. Renuka Sharma
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Purushottama Bilimoria .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pomona College Religious Studies, Claremont, CA, USA

    Zayn R. Kassam

  2. Rollins College Jewish Studies Program, Winter Park, FL, USA

    Yudit Kornberg Greenberg

  3. World Zoroastrian Organization, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Jehan Bagli

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Bilimoria, P., Sharma, R. (2018). Muslim Personal Law. In: Kassam, Z.R., Greenberg, Y.K., Bagli, J. (eds) Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1267-3_854

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