This edition of the Journal of Islamic State Practices in International Law has the honour of publishing three study reports carried out during the EURASIA-Net project.
The EURASIA Net project is funded by the European Commission’s FP-7 scheme. The overall objectives of EURASIA-Net focus on human rights, particularly minority rights as a method of reducing ethno-religious conflict in South Asia. As part of the cooperation between European and South Asian institutions, the project facilitated study visits to partner institutions. Consequently, this edition of JISPIL contains one paper by a European academic, Catarina Kinnvall, who was hosted by the Democratic Commission for Human Development in Pakistan, and two South Asian academics, Md Nazrul Islam and Sumaiya Khair who both visited the European Academy in Italy.
The project itself is coordinated by Institute for Minority Rights, European Academy Bolzano, and Dr. Günther Rautz. Project partners included Prof. Javaid Rehman, Brunel University; Prof. Rainer Hofmann, Johann Wolfgang Goethe- Universität Frankfurt am Main; Dr Ranabir Samaddar, Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group; Rita Manchanda, South Asian Forum for Human Rights; Tanveer Jahan, Democratic Commission for Human Development; Prof. Borhan Uddin Khan, University of Dhaka. Further information on the research carried out by EURASIA-Net is available on their webpage (http://www.eurac.edu/en/research/projects/ProjectDetails.html?pid=2029).
The three reports in this edition of JISPIL provide an overview of the variety of research carried out under the auspices of EURASIA-Net. Catarina Kinnvall’s paper provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of instability in Pakistan. In contrast Md Nazrul Islam analyses the European minority rights regime and draws out possibilities for the protection of minorities in South Asia. Finally, Sumaiya Khair considers the plight of migrant workers in Europe, and the implications that South Asian immigrants have for minority rights protection in Europe.
The Editors very much regret the sad and irreparable loss of Professor Kaiyan H Kaikobad, who was one of the Editors of JISPIL. A special issue of JISPIL is forthcoming that will be dedicated to him and honour his achievements.
The Editors would very much like to welcome Professor Shaheen Sardar Ali as one of the Editors of JISPIL. Professor Ali is Professor of Law at Warwick School of Law and is currently the Vice-Chair of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Research interests include: Islamic law and jurisprudence; international human rights; women’s human rights; gender and the law; public international law; and children’s rights.
Finally, the Editors are also pleased to note that JISPIL has recently been given a C ranking in the recent Australian Research Council’s Law Journal Rankings 2010. Further, we are also pleased to announce that JISPIL will be available via HeinOnline in the future.