Professional Diploma in Fiqh of Muslim Minorities, Integration, and Citizenship
Islamic Studies and Legal Sciences / Fiqh of Minorities and Community Studies — Novera University
1. Program Overview:
An accredited professional and applied program extending over 3 months (80 hours of approved study load), aimed at preparing and qualifying imams, preachers, Shariah consultants, and community leaders in diaspora countries to address the issues and emerging cases of Muslims outside the Islamic world with integrated jurisprudential and legal awareness. The program covers the usuli grounding of the Fiqh of Minorities, rulings on citizenship, positive integration, and compliance with civil laws, family jurisprudence and personal-status matters in diaspora, financial transactions, employment contracts, and taxes in Western societies, political and human-rights participation and building civil alliances, protection of identity and Islamic education for younger generations, and governance and management of Islamic centers and institutional fatwa making.
2. Key Objectives:
- Shariah grounding of the Fiqh of Minorities: understanding usuli principles, the jurisprudence of balancing interests, and the change of fatwa according to changes in time, place, and circumstances in order to apply rulings to the reality of minorities.
- Consolidating the jurisprudence of citizenship and integration: understanding the Shariah controls for effective and positive integration, respecting laws, and fulfilling civic duties while preserving religious distinctiveness.
- Addressing emerging personal-status issues: mastering the treatment of issues of civil and Shariah marriage, divorce, custody, inheritance, and guardianship before non-Islamic courts.
- Understanding the jurisprudence of financial transactions in diaspora: studying contemporary contracts and financial transactions (mortgage financing, insurance, taxes, and retirement accounts) in accordance with the resolutions of fiqh academies.
- Strengthening civic participation and building partnerships: enabling leaders with the tools of political and human-rights work, combating discrimination, and building community alliances that strengthen the positive presence of Muslims.
- Managing and governing Islamic institutions: acquiring the administrative and legal skills needed to manage mosques and Islamic centers and supervise and regulate fatwa making.
3. Target Audience:
- Imams, public speakers, religious guides, and preachers working in Western societies and diaspora countries.
- Presidents and members of boards of directors of Islamic centers, institutions, and associations abroad.
- Lawyers, legal consultants, and human-rights activists concerned with issues affecting Muslim communities.
- Researchers in comparative jurisprudence, international relations, social studies, and intercultural dialogue.
- Graduates and students of Faculties of Shariah, Law, Political Science, and Sociology.
4. Study Plan and Academic Modules:
|
Module |
Number of Lectures |
Total Hours
|
|
Usuli Grounding and Universal Principles of the Fiqh of Muslim Minorities |
3 |
6 hours |
|
Fiqh of Citizenship, Integration, and Compliance with Civil Laws |
3 |
6 hours |
|
Family Jurisprudence and Personal Status in Diaspora Countries |
3 |
6 hours |
|
Financial Transactions, Contracts, Financing Issues, and Taxes |
3 |
6 hours |
|
Political Participation, Human-Rights Work, and Civil Alliances |
3 |
6 hours |
|
Identity Challenges and Raising Generations in Non-Islamic Environments |
3 |
6 hours |
|
Contemporary Fiqh Academy Resolutions Concerning Minorities |
3 |
6 hours |
|
Governance of Islamic Centers and Institutional Fatwa Making |
3 |
6 hours |
|
Total: 8 Modules |
24 Lectures |
48 Training Hours
|
5. Organizational Structure and Assessment System:
- Duration and sessions: 3 months (evening period), at a rate of two lectures per week, two hours per lecture = 48 interactive training hours.
- Language of study and delivery method: Arabic | fully remote interactive training (Online).
- Distribution of approved hours (80 hours):
· 48 hours: direct interactive lectures (training sessions and live dialogue).
· 14 hours: required readings in the literature of the Fiqh of Minorities and resolutions of international fiqh academies.
· 6 hours: enrichment readings in laws governing communities and human-rights conventions.
· 6 hours: assignments, practical applications, study of real cases, and jurisprudential emerging issues.
· 6 hours: self-assessment questions, final review, and final completion examination.
- Attendance and assessment requirements: attendance of no less than 75% of the lectures, and completion of applications and periodic assignments.
- Certificate and graduation project: the graduate is awarded a Professional Diploma in Fiqh of Muslim Minorities, Integration, and Citizenship after passing the electronic examination (25 questions + 5 questions on practical and legal cases) and optionally submitting an applied analytical research paper on a jurisprudential-legal emerging issue concerning Muslims in diaspora countries.
