Washington University Law
Center for Interdisciplinary Studies
Faculty Workshop Lunch
TUESDAY, 29 APRIL
NOON
FACULTY COMMONS – ROOM 593
David Powers
Adjunct Professor of Law
Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies
Cornell University
The Case of Haskuri, the Mocking Jurist
The seminar will examine a lawsuit that took place at the beginning of the 8th/14th century in Fez,
Morocco. The defendant, a man named Haskuri, was accused of engaging in illicit sexual relations with
his former wife after having divorced her. Haskuri was a distinguished jurist. In response to the charge
of fornication, al-Haskuri used--some would say, abused--his knowledge of the law in an effort to
extricate himself from his predicament. The qadi or judge who heard the case solicited legal opinions
from two muftis or expert jurists. Each mufti issued a detailed opinion in which he provided a reasoned
justification for a specific punishment. The two recommendations were widely divergent, forcing the
qadi to choose between the death penalty or a lesser punishment. In the seminar, we will attempt to
assess these two opinions and to determine which one should have been implemented.
The Department of History and the Program in Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies will also host:
Fathers Without Sons: The Making of the Last Prophet
Tuesday, 29 April 2008, 4 p.m. ~ Hurst Lounge, Duncker Hall
You are welcome to join them.