The Islamic Principle of <i>Kafala</i> as Applied to Migrant Workers: Traditional Continuity and Reform

<p dir="ltr">The paper is an attempt to identify the continuities and discontinuities between the religious Islamic notion and practice of kafala (<i>kafāla</i>) and its contemporary application—with specific reference to the Gulf States where it has been most prominently legislated and practiced. While much research has been undertaken, mostly critical of the kafala as a system of oppression and exploitation of migrant labour in the GCC, there seems to be a consensus that there is no relationship at all between the traditional Islamic concept of <i>kafala</i> and its current application. In other words, it is argued that there is no evidence of a “genealogy” that links the Islamic jurisprudence of kafala to its contemporary forms (Franz 2011, 98).</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Migration and Islamic Ethics<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0</a><br>See chapter on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004417342_007" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004417342_007</a></p>