TORONTO, October 22, 2002 -- Islamic law will be the theme of the ‘Or ‘Emet Lecture at Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, which has been split into two presentations scheduled for the fall and winter. Each presentation will be followed by a reception in the Law School’s second floor Faculty Common Room.

Professor El Obaid Ahmed El Obaid, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Comparative Law, Faculty of Law, McGill University, will discuss 9/11: The Corruption of Legal and Religious Language, on Thursday, October 31, 2002 from 12:40 to 2:30 p.m. in Room 107.

El Obaid is currently teaching Comparative Law: Islamic Law and International Human Rights at Osgoode.

Professor Ingrid Mattson, Professor of Islamic Studies at the Macdonald Center for Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, CT, will speak about The Risks and Benefits of Resorting to 'Necessity' in Islamic Jurisprudence on Monday, January 27, 2003 from 12:40 to 2:30 p.m. in Room 207.

In 2001, Mattson was elected Vice-President of the Islamic Society of North America. She will teach Legal Values: Introduction to Islamic Law at Osgoode in January 2003.

The ‘Or ‘Emet Fund was established in 1976 to promote the study of law in the broadest sense. The Fund seeks to promote through public discussion, research and scholarly writing, public and professional appreciation of the significance of religion, ethics, culture and history in the development of the legal system.

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For further information, please contact:

Professor Susan Drummond
Osgoode Hall Law School of York University
416-650-8184
sdrummond@osgoode.yorku.ca
YU/093/02