Islamic law in Lithuania? Its institutionalisation, limits and prospects for application

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Islamas Lietuvoje; Islamo įstatymai; Musulmonų bendruomenės; Islam in Lithuania; Islamic law; Muslim communities.

ENThis chapter is devoted to an analysis of the potential for the application of Islamic law in Lithuania, directly enshrined and indirectly implied in the current Lithuanian legal system. It investigates the state of the art and future prospects, in view of the ongoing changes in the composition of the Muslim community, in terms of cultural background, religiosity, and the understand-ing of the contents of Islam and the place of Islamic law in the personal and communal life among the country's Muslim population. This chapter also takes into account the credit of tolerance in both the politico-legal system and society at large for the prospective increase in demands from the Lithuania's Muslims to apply Islamic law in the country. The analysis of the situation up to date leads the author to make the conclusion that although there is nominally comparatively much space for the application of the Islamic law in Lithuania, because of low demand from the Muslim side, it has not been realised. On the other hand, if and when the demand for the application of the Islamic law among the country's Muslims grows, there is a high likelihood that the legal regulations and the social attitudes will become less accepting of it. [Extract, p. 109]