EN
Muslim communities, living as ethnic minorities, constitute nearly half of the world’s whole Muslim population. The number of Muslims in Germany, Great Britain, and other West European countries is constantly growing. Until recently, Muslims were scarcely visible to the receiving society, and Islamic law was silent about their specific situation. Nevertheless, in this growing population, charismatic thinkers sometimes emerge, who are actively involved in further developing the Muslim perspective by incorporating new issues vital to contemporary Muslims. Participation in civil society, as well as many other phenomena compounded by globalization, are among the most important factors. While functioning in non-Muslim societies, the thinkers are aware of the pressing need for updating and verifying Islamic law so that it can be practiced without restraint within a non-Muslim environment, without having to resort to alienation from the rest of society. The term “fiqh of a minority” (fiqh al-aqalliyyat) was used for the first time in 1994 by Taha Jabir al-Alwani. Another theoretician and supporter of the fiqh of a minority is Jusuf al-Qardawi. The concept of the fiqh of a minority, as viewed by the two alims, will be presented in the article.