For years, the ICRC has been exploring the correspondences between International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and different religions with the aim to learn and encourage debate on key issues. Islam, for example, has its own set of humanitarian laws for the reduction of suffering in armed conflict.

In a course titled “Conflict, Violence and Humanitarian Work” organized by The King Prajadipok’s Institute in Bangkok in collaboration with the Institute of Buddhist Management for Happiness and Peace Foundation (IBHAP Foundation) and the ICRC, Dr Ziaullah Rahmani, ICRC’s Regional Advisor for Islamic Law and Jurisprudence, gave a succinct overview of Islamic Humanitarian Law to the event’s participants.

In his presentation, Dr Rahmani commenced with explaining the Arabic term “Siyar”, a field of Islamic law which has a broader scope than IHL, explained the highly charged and mistranslated terminology of “Jihad”, then moved on to describe the main sources of Islamic Humanitarian Law, being the Quran and Sunnah, with Islamic treaties constituting another important fount. He further elaborated on the fundamental rules of Islamic law regarding the conduct of hostilities, and concluded with the general principles of Islamic jurisprudence which are highly relevant when applying the rules of Islamic law during the conduct of hostilities.