Asifa Quraishi-Landes
Professor of Law
Education
S.J.D., Harvard Law School (2006)
LL.M., Columbia Law School (1998)
J.D., University of California-Davis (1992)
B.A., University of California-Berkeley (1988)
Biography
Asifa Quraishi-Landes specializes in comparative Islamic and U.S.constitutional law, with a current focus on modern Islamic constitutional theory. She is a 2009 Carnegie Scholar and 2012 Guggenheim Fellow. Recent publications include "Healing a Wounded Islamic Constitutionalism: Sharia, Legal Pluralism, and Unlearning the Nation-State Paradigm (forthcoming in Transformative Constitutionalism, Boaventura De Sousa Santos, editor) and "Legislating Morality and Other Illusions about Islamic Government," (forthcoming in Locating the Shari'a: Legal Fluidity in Theory, History and Practice, Nathan French & Sohaira Siddiqui editors). Currently, she is working on a book manuscript, "Islamic Reconstitutionalism," in which she proposes a new model of Islamic constitutionalism for today's Muslim-majority countries.
Professor Quraishi-Landes holds a doctorate from Harvard Law School and other degrees from Columbia Law School, the University of California - Davis, and the University of California - Berkeley, and has served as law clerk in the United State Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She has served as a Public Delegate on the United States Delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the Task Force on Religion and the Making of U.S. Foreign Policy for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and as advisor to the Pew Task Force on Religion & Public Life. She is past President of the National Association of Muslim Lawyers (NAML), and serves on the governing board of the Association of American Law Schools' Section on Islamic Law. She is an affiliate of the Muslim Women's League, past President and Board Member of Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, a Fellow with the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding and a member of the "Opinion Leaders Network" for the British Council's "Our Shared Future" project.
Photo Credit: Tatiana Shirasaki
Scholarship & Publications
SSRN
Law Repository
Research Interests
- Islamic Constitutionalism
- Comparative Constitutionalism
- Legal Pluralism
Activities
The 2019 Wisconsin Law Review Symposium, which was chaired by former UW Law Professor Andrew Coan, featured a number of UW Law faculty, including Anuj Desai, Howie Erlanger, Neil Komesar, John Ohnesorge, Asifa Quraishi-Landes, David Schwartz, Miriam Seifter and Rob Yablon. The symposium, titled "Rationing the Constitution: How Judicial Capacity Shapes Supreme Decision-Making,” was held Oct. 24 and 25.
Asifa Quraishi-Landes presented "Sharia and the American Muslim Voter: Why Islamophobia Gets It All Wrong" at the Fitchburg Public Library in October.
Asifa Quraishi-Landes was among the public figures honored in House Resolution 276, “Recognizing American Muslims’ history and contributions to our Nation.” Rep. Judy Chu of California introduced the resolution in April to the House of Representatives, where it was referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Asifa Quraishi-Landes presented "Theorizing Islamic Constitutionalism Beyond the Islamic State: Protecting Religious Freedom and Honoring Shari’a," as part of the 2016 Bayan Conference, "Islamic Perspectives on Religious Freedom." Watch the full address.
Asifa Quraishi has been appointed as a U.S. Delegate to the 54th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. She will be attending the Session from March 1 through March 12, 2010 at the UN Headquarters in New York.
David Schwartz participated on the panel "Facilitating Active Learning" at the Workshop on Innovative Teaching Methods & Materials, held at Washburn University School of Law, May 18-20, 2009. The conference, co-sponsored by Carolina Academic Press, is for authors in the forthcoming "Context and Practice Series" of casebooks. Schwartz is under contract to write a textbook tentatively titled, Constitutional Law: The New Case Method, to be co-authored with UW law colleague Asifa Quraishi.
News & Media
Friday, Oct 30, 2020Asifa Quraishi-Landes discusses sharia and the American Muslim voter
Wisconsin Muslim JournalTuesday, Sep 10, 2019Asifa Quraishi-Landes opens Constitutional Law class to public as part of UW Law's Constitution Day events
Thursday, Apr 18, 2019A Q&A on Islamic law with Asifa Quraishi-Landes
Wisconsin Public TelevisionTuesday, Apr 9, 2019Asifa Quraishi-Landes leads talk on meaning of Sharia
Flat Hat NewsTuesday, Mar 19, 2019Asifa Quraishi-Landes speaks at vigil for victims of New Zealand massacre
Wisconsin Muslim JournalMonday, Mar 18, 2019Asifa Quraishi-Landes: Five myths about hijab
Washington PostMonday, Mar 11, 2019Asifa Quraishi-Landes quoted on news host's inaccurate comments in the Ilhan Omar debate
Rolling StoneWednesday, Nov 7, 2018Muslims and voting: What does sharia have to do with it? Asifa Quraishi-Landes explains
PatheosMonday, May 14, 2018Asifa Quraishi-Landes discusses new film about the first woman judge on Palestine's court of Islamic law
RadioWestFriday, Mar 16, 2018Misconceptions about sharia heighten anti-Muslim sentiment in U.S.; Asifa Quraishi-Landes outlines the myths
The Washington PostThursday, Aug 17, 2017Asifa Quraishi-Landes discusses the Muslim Youth Camp her parents founded
National Public RadioMonday, Jul 10, 2017Asifa Quraishi-Landes discusses state's proposed anti-Sharia bill
Milwaukee Journal SentinelTuesday, Jun 20, 2017Asifa Quraishi-Landes: What happens when tragedy strikes Muslims during Ramadan
The Washington PostFriday, Jun 16, 2017Asifa Quraishi-Landes named to new UW System Advisory Diversity Council
UW System NewsFriday, Jun 9, 2017Asifa Quraishi-Landes: How anti-Sharia marches mistake Muslim concepts of state and religious law
Teaching Areas
- Constitutional Law
- Islamic Law
Recently Taught Courses
