Known For: Specialist in Shari`a, rule of law, and tribes in the Muslim world
Dates: Common Era 1965 – Present (CE)
Country: Netherlands

About

Laila al-Zwaini is a Dutch-Iraqi arabist and jurist, specializing in classical and modern shari`a, tribalism, legal pluralism, intellectual and social movements, and human/women’s rights in the Muslim world. She works as an independent scholar, trainer, and advisor to international organizations, governments, and institutions, and participates in public debates, the media, and policy development on Islam and secularism, religious authority, shari`a and rule of law, non-state justice, and Muslim women’s empowerment.

In 2007, Laila joined the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in Kabul, where she acted as Head of the Rule of Law Unit until 2009. From 2001-2005 she co-directed the action-research project “Rights at Home” at the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (Leiden). This project engaged Muslim intellectuals, women’s rights trainers, and young community leaders from Africa, the Middle East and Asia towards positive social change. Previously, Laila spent extensive periods for rule of law-related field research in Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Egypt, and worked for several international cooperation programs in Muslim countries. She is the co-author of two books and a variety of academic articles and policy reports on Islamic and Arab matters.