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Latest Updates
“Knowledge in Islamic Courts: Evidence; Proof; Procedure” – Islamic Law Workshop in Rabat (14-15 May 2025)
On 14-15 May 2025, Dr. Ari Schriber (Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellow, Utrecht University) and I co-organized a workshop entitled “Knowledge in Islamic Courts: Evidence, Proof, Procedure” at the Netherlands Institute in Morocco (NIMAR) in Rabat. Through an open call, we gathered 13 participants from across various fields ranging from Islamic legal history and anthropology to…
MALAYMATRIMONEY: Q1 Updates
As I elucidated in my previous post, Q1 was mostly about settling in as a resident (and taxpayer) of Norway. It is also about settling into UiB — joining the research community; getting to know other academics; and getting them to know me. Here’s what I’ve been up to since coming here: March 14-17 March:…
Mobility & MALAYMATRIMONEY
Three months have passed in Bergen since the launch of this project in March, which means that our first quarter is up. As always, the first few months after moving to a new country are always taken up by various administrative and bureaucratic processes of settling into a new country. How one’s identity and personhood…
Read more on the latest updates on my research here.
Research Themes
Halal Intimacy
The pursuit of love and intimacy “halal” (permissible) in the eyes of God, the state, and Malay adat (culture & traditions).
Cross-Border Marriage
Syariah-compliant elopements across the border to Southern Thailand.
Ethnography of Malaysian Syariah Courts
Marriage, divorce, and inheritance under the Malaysian Islamic Family Law.
Polygyny
n. When a man is married to two or more wives.
Moral Policing
Being intimate within limits: State-led moral surveillance in Malaysia, and the perils of moral transgressions.
The Malaysian Islamic Bureaucracy
The agents behind the nationwide bureaucratization of Islam in Malaysia today.
Love Magic & Sorcery
The politics of the supernatural, and the power struggle for love.
Where I work
Kelantan
From the bustling markets of Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah, to the halls of Kota Bharu’s Syariah Court.
Southern Thailand
Marriage tourism in Hat Yai & Songkhla. And the place for fantastic tom yum.
Kuala Lumpur
The beating heart of Malaysia. A productive site for a comparative fieldwork vis-à-vis Kelantan.
Negeri Sembilan
Up close and personal: The daily life of an anthropologist in a polygamous household.
Nurul Huda Mohd. Razif 