Three Faces of Shafa. Land Ownership on Trial in Ningarhar

A study of three districts in the Ningarhar Province – Qasimabad, Shahidano Meena, and Achin in the Shinwar District - urban, semi-urban and rural districts respectively – provides an analysis of the role of shafa (customary and Islamic religious law relating to neighboring properties) in land seizu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wamiqullah Mumtaz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Université de Provence 2013-06-01
Series:Revue des Mondes Musulmans et de la Méditerranée
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.openedition.org/remmm/8071
Description
Summary:A study of three districts in the Ningarhar Province – Qasimabad, Shahidano Meena, and Achin in the Shinwar District - urban, semi-urban and rural districts respectively – provides an analysis of the role of shafa (customary and Islamic religious law relating to neighboring properties) in land seizures (or ‘land grabbing’) and, by extension, in rural and urban development. In the contemporary period of rapid urbanization, the failure of the authorities and institutions charged with land management in the Jalalabad region has prompted the population to turn to informal arrangements, through shafa law and ‘land grabbing’, to resolve their conflicts. This article illustrates the contradictory implementation of the shafa neighboring-land principle by the various actors involved in processes of urbanization and urban planning.
ISSN:0997-1327
2105-2271