Reconciling Islamic law and the rules of war
Islamic law contains a rich but complex set of rules on the protection of civilians. But can that centuries-old canon be reconciled with modern international humanitarian norms?

In this series of reports IRIN explores the tension (and overlap) between Islamic jurisprudence and international humanitarian law: we report on how jihadists are interpreting Islamic edicts , and how humanitarians are using those same principles to further access.. Full report

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Humanitarians are working more than ever before in contexts where Islamic norms inform the terrain in which they operate.

Most of today’s conflicts take place in Muslim countries or involve Muslim combatants, who sometimes turn to Islamic law to govern their military conduct. It is a rich, but complex set of rules.

In a new series of reports, we explore what Islamic jurisprudence says about the protection of civilians – and how humanitarians and jihadists are interpreting those injunctions.