Question

Using four or more complete sentences, describe the three types of laws used by Middle Eastern governments.

Answer 1

Middle Eastern governments typically rely on three broad types of law: religious (primarily Islamic law or Sharia), modern civil/statutory codes, and customary or tribal law. Sharia derives from the Quran, Hadith and juristic interpretation and often governs personal status matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and sometimes criminal law, administered through religious or personal-status courts. Civil or statutory law consists of written codes and regulations—often modeled on European systems like the French civil code or British common law—that cover commercial, administrative, criminal and constitutional matters and are created by legislatures and governments. Customary or tribal law (urf) comprises longstanding local practices and decisions by tribal leaders or councils that resolve disputes, manage land and family matters, and coexist with formal legal institutions in many areas. In practice most countries use a mix of these systems, with the balance and scope of each varying widely from state to state.