Legal Documents on Islam in Europe

Workshop.

In 2024 the Annotated Legal Documents on Islam in Europe celebrates 10 years since the first volume and in 2025 a full 25 volumes are published, with more on the way.

Annotated Legal Documents on Islam in Europe consist of an annotated collection of currently valid legal documents affecting the status of Islam and Muslims in Europe. By legal documents are meant the texts of legislation, including relevant secondary legislation, as well as significant court decisions. Each legal text will be preceded by an introduction describing the historical, political and legal circumstances of its adoption, plus a short paragraph summarising its content. The focus of the collection is on the religious dimensions of being Muslim in Europe, i.e. on individuals' access to practise their religious obligations and on the ability to organise and manifest their religious life.  

 

On this occasion, we are trying to bring together a selection of authors and readers to Copenhagen with the explicit purpose of working with the material of the Annotated Legal Documents Series to unfold a lot of the synthesis and cross-cutting promise in those many volumes.

  • To identify the main common and diverging trends, historically and looking forward, within European legislation regarding the status of Islam and the religious practice of Muslims in Europe.
  • To investigate the impact of European social and political developments on legislative processes regarding Islam and Muslims in Europe.
  • To assess the impact of the relevant legislation on Muslims and the development of European policy and society.
  • To consolidate and further explore new and relevant research questions on the field of legislation and regulation on Islam and
    Muslims in Europe.

For the day of the 6 November, we open with an early lunch and work our way through short and concise readings and new takes of the problem matter of the Annotated Legal Documents Series. We end with a nice dinner.

We ask for short presentations of 20-30 minutes, preferably with a short outline or draft in writing. Proceedings will be collected and published as a Special Issue of the Journal on Muslims in Europe, to be published end of 2026. We expect to be able to collect 7-8 articles, each of a guiding length of max. 6.000 words. Submission deadline will be 1 April 2026.

 

 

12.00 – 13.00 Lunch at University of Copenhagen
13:00 – 13:30 Opening Remarks, by the editors, Prakash Shah & Niels Valdemar Vinding  
13:30 – 18:00     Presentations and reflections on Legal Documents on Islam in Europe
13:30 – 14:15
Secularim, Gender, and the Instrumentalisation of Rights: Regulating Muslims Women in Europe by Sofia Caseiro, PhD candidate in Human Rights in Contemporary Societies and Co-author of Annotated Legal Documents on Islam in Europe: Portugal
14:15 – 15:00
The recent past and near future of the spread of Islam through British legal systems by Prakash Shah, Reader in Culture and Law at Queen Mary University of London and author of Annotated Legal Documents on Islam in Europe: United Kingdom
15:00 – 15:30 Break with coffee and tea, cake and fruit

15:30 – 16:15
A Snapshot of Islam in Very Récent French Case Law by Anne Fornerod, Research Director at the CNRS, Law and Religions, CNRS at Université de Strasbourg and author of Annotated Legal Documents on Islam in Europe: France
16:15 – 17:00
Knowing Islam like a State by Niels Valdemar Vinding, associate professor of Islamic Studies, Law and Religion, Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen, and author of Annotated Legal Documents on Islam in Europe: Denmark
17:00 – 18:00 Reflections on the research contribution of the Annotated Legal Documents series and the future of research on Law and Islam in Europe
19:00 – 22:00  Dinner for presenters at Aristo Restaurant, Islands Brygge 4, 2300 København S

 

Registration

Limited space available for guests by registration to Niels Valdemar Vinding.