TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHING ISLAMIC CANON LAW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE: SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR DESIGNING A COMPARATIVE LEGAL CURRICULUM FOR UNDERGRADUATE LLB STUDENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA 1

This article deals with the current position of teaching Islamic canon law or Shariah within South Africa. The focus is on the challenges and prospects associated with the restructuring or contextualising of legal education in the Faculty of Law, at the University of the Western Cape. Special attention is given to the paradigm shifts in legal philosophy, education and services since 1994, as well as the possibility of teaching Islamic canon law or Shariah at undergraduate level within a pedagogical framework that utilises certain relevant aspects of South African history within the new integrative LLB course. 1 This article is a revised version of a paper presented at the 2005 Commonwealth Legal Education Association conference at the University of Greenwich.