Uriya Shavit is a professor of Islamic, Democracy, and Migration studies at Tel Aviv University. Fabian Spengler earned a PhD from Tel Aviv University. His main research areas are Muslim minorities in the West, and the discourse about Islam, education, and integration in Germany.
"""An original and thought-provoking study. The book challenges easy interpretations of the role of shariʿa and fatwas in Western Muslim lives and is essential reading for anyone interested in the sociology of religious law and the development of Islamic life in the West."" - Roberto Tottoli, Rector, University of Naples L'Orientale, and editor of the Routledge Handbook of Islam in the West ""I highly recommend reading this book, which provides a groundbreaking thesis on a crucial issue: how fatwas are diffused and negotiated and what impact they have in the actual everyday lives of Muslims, including in organizing a religious life that is in line with the circumstances and conditions of reality."" - Iyad Zahalka, Qadi of the Shariʿa High Court of Appeal and Director of the Shariʿa Court's Administration in Israel ""Integrating a mixed-methods approach to the study of religion, Shariʿa and Life fills a gap in the literature. The book presents an interesting examination of the European Council of Fatwa and Research, suggesting that it has not been an efficacious body for developing European fatwa. Uriya Shavit and Fabian Spengler offer a useful analysis of the council and its future, as well as the possibilities for thinking beyond the wasati-salafi approach to Islam in Europe."" - Anver M. Emon, Professor of Law and History and Director of the Institute of Islamic Studies, University of Toronto, and Canada Research Chair in Islamic Law and History"