Drawing on theories of legal pluralism, this book tests whether and to what extent claims of the modern nation-state laws to exclusive dominance over other spheres are tenable, and reassesses the operation of law in society.

Identifying the current socio-legal situation of Muslims and their legal attitudes from different perspectives, Yilmaz (Oriental and African studies, U. of London) analyzes the conflict between the assumptions of modern legal systems and plural legal realities. In England and Turkey, unofficial Muslim laws have been reconstructed within officially

'Taking a globality-conscious interdisciplinary theoretical approach, this important study on dynamic legal pluralism advances our knowledge of how, in today's multi-polar world, Muslims can handle conflicts between private and state expectation in a spirit of constructive search for viable solutions.' Professor Werner Menski, SOAS, University of London, UK 'This book poses a challenge to the assumption, in modern legal theory, of the supremacy of state law and to the conception of Islamic law as one dominated by jurists. Instead, it proposes, in a gently radical way, a socio-legal approach that includes local factors and explains how Muslims themselves shape and constitute the law as they exercise their law-making agency. It is a major contribution to discussions in Islamic law, comparative law and legal theory.' Prakash Shah, Lecturer, Queen Mary, University of London, UK 'There are many strong points about this book...The writing style is concise, free of unnecessary jargon, and contains full explanations of Islamic and other technical terms...a timely and valuable contribution...' The Law and Politics Book Review The author explains his argument by way of three interesting case studies. By far the most impressive and interesting is the Turkish experience...This is explored in great detail, well researched and referenced, and usefully contextualized in the historical secularization of the Turkish Republic.' Asian Criminology