Standing Up for Everyone, Standing by the Vulnerable: An Interview with Brett Scharffs and Elizabeth Clark

ICLRS Director Brett G. Scharffs and Associate Director Elizabeth A. Clark discuss the concept behind and mission of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies. They share personal memories of the Center’s beginnings; recount the work of its founding director, W. Cole Durham, Jr.; and explain the Center’s activities, the sensitivities of cross-cultural dialogue, the value of patience, and the best compliment ever paid to the Center. The interview is in honor of and dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the ICLRS, which was founded 1 January 2000.

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Mahmoud v. Taylor: Even When the Current Supreme Court Gets It Right the Supermajority’s Bias Is on Display

Frank S. Ravitch is Professor of Law and Walter H. Stowers Chair in Law and Religion at the Michigan State University College of Law.

On 27 June 2025, the United States Supreme Court decided Mahmoud v. Taylor.[1] The case focused on the Montgomery County (Maryland) School Board’s integration of books featuring LGBTQ characters into the elementary-school English curriculum. The board had long integrated books with characters from a variety of backgrounds, including different religious and cultural backgrounds, into its curriculum. The goal of including books with LGBTQ characters was to be inclusive because the district is one of the most culturally, socially, racially, and religiously diverse districts in the United States.

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Muslim Law in Israel

Pablo Lerner is a professor of law at the Zefat Academic College and the College of Law and Business in Ramat-Gan (Israel).

Muslim law in Israel is only part of a broader issue: the status of Muslims as a minority in the Jewish state. In contrast to other non-Muslim-majority countries, in Israel, Muslims are a minority not as a consequence of immigration but as a result of the 1948 war. Since then, Muslims have struggled for recognition and to strengthen their collective identity in Israel. Accordingly, Muslim law (Sharia) has played an important role as a cultural and sociological aspect of their Muslim and Palestinian-Israeli identity. While this brief post cannot fully explore the complexity of the Muslim-minority issue, it does discuss the legal aspect and addresses several questions about the relationship between the Israeli legal system and Muslim law.

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