US and European scholars of law, history, sociology, and anthropology who specialize in Muslim societies gathered in Leiden, the Netherlands, in October 2001 for The Application of Islamic Law in Courts conference, which focused on the role of the qadi, or judge. The 21 papers from that conference published here cover judging, organizing law, applying doctrines, and recording procedures and evidence. Among the topics are the shifting legal environment of a 16th-century Ottoman court, a trans-Saharan comparison of Islamic judicial councils and their sociopolitical context, and Christians and family law in modern Egypt. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)