Studying State Muftis: The Case of Egypt

Join us for the third lecture of the AKU-ISMC Guest Scholar Programme 2024 in which Professor Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen will delve into the history of state muftis in the Muslim world. From the late 19th century, emerging Muslim states have established a position as the Mufti of the State, thus transforming a venerable academic specialist into a functionary in the modern state. Outlining the typical intentions in the creation of such a position and the difficulties with it, the lecture will zoom into the Egyptian state mufti office, the Dar al-Ifta, and the men who held office in it. Professor Skovgaard-Petersen will outline the significant changes that this institution has undergone in the 21st century. The lecture will conclude by discussing the merits of such an institutional approach, and what a study of the Muftis and their fatwas can tell us.

About the Speaker

Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen (Dr.Phil) is 2024 AKU-ISMC Guest Scholar, and Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Copenhagen. He specializes in contemporary Islam in the Arab World, more specifically in the role of the Sunni ulama in Arab states, the establishment of a modern public sphere and the role Islam on Arab television, and modern Arab historiography and the interpretation of Islamic history. Professor Skovgaard-Petersen is the author and co-editor of several volumes, including The Global Mufti. The Phenomenon of Yusuf al-Qaradawi (co-edited with Bettina Gräf, Columbia University Press, 2009), Defining Islam for the Egyptian State: Muftis and Fatwas of the Dar al-Ifra (Brill, 1997), and Law and the Islamic world. Past and Present (co-edited with Christopher Toll, The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, 1994).

The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception.

This is an in-person event and free to attend. However, registration is required.