On January 17, 2021, the REF-ARAB project and the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) organize the online event "The Right to Asylum in International Refugee Law and Islamic Law: Theory and Practice".
The event brings together scholars of both International Refugee Law and Islamic Law to discuss the similarities and differences between the two systems of law and how the concept of asylum adopted in practice.
The role of Islam in refugee protection
REF-ARAB PI Professor Maja Janmyr highlights the importance of discussing the relationship between International Refugee Law and Islamic Law:
— We are delighted to be collaborating with KFCRIS on this important event. There is growing recognition of the role of Islam in refugee protection, and this is one of the alternative approaches to refugee issues that we explore in the REF-ARAB project, Janmyr says.
Academic collaboration
The REF-ARAB project explores the characteristics of refugee protection in states of the Arabic speaking Middle East that have not ratified the UN Refugee Convention. A sub-project studies the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the international refugee regime, including why Saudi Arabia is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, and how the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) carries out its mandate in the country.
Professor Janmyr hopes this event will lead to more academic collaboration in the future:
— REF-ARAB post-doc Charlotte Lysa is currently wrapping up a six-month research stay in Riyadh, and, through her presence in Saudi Arabia, we have been able to collaborate academically with the KFCRIS in the study of refugee protection in the Arab Middle East, Janmyr explains.
— We are grateful for this opportunity and hope that this event is a stepping stone also for future research collaboration, Janmyr says.
The recording of the event can be watched here: