Professor Dr. Omar Farahat

Biography

Omar Farahat is an Associate Professor at McGill University's Faculty of Law. His research interests include Islamic legal theory, comparative law, theoretical theological ethics, and the regulation of religious forms in relation to modern nation-state systems. His current research focuses on Islamic legal moral theories and the key concepts of Islamic legal theory in conversation with contemporary jurisprudence. Professor Farahat is particularly interested in the ideas of rights, personhood, and social roles as presented in classical legal theory, alongside the moral virtues of Islamic thought. His book, 'Foundation Norms Islamic Jurisprudence and Theology,' published by Cambridge University Press in 2019, explores the role of divine commands as a normative source in Islamic theology and legal theory. His work has been published in various respected journals and has received funding from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC). Farahat completed his Ph.D. at Columbia University in 2016, served as a Research Fellow at Yale Law School, and was a Research Fellow at Harvard Law School in spring 2020. He has also practiced law in Cairo, New York, and Paris.

Research Interests

Experience