Criminal Law and the Rights of the Child in Muslim States

Book excerpt: This book is based on a project on the "Rights of the Child in Criminal Law in Iran and Other Muslim States," carried out by The British Institute of International and Comparative Law. The goal of this project is to enhance the implementation of non-discriminatory laws relating to children in Muslim States' criminal justice systems, through training, research, and providing support to advocacy work. The book is the result of a comparative study on the age of criminal liability in Muslim States, aimed at providing strong material for advocacy and research on the subject. National Rapporteurs from Muslim and European States have participated in completing a questionnaire on the subject. The countries involved in the study include Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Spain, as well as the UK. In order to place the study in context, it also features chapters covering the history of child criminal law, and an introduction to Islamic criminal law as it