Media advisory: Paris, Beirut attacks illustrate gap between Shari'a, inauthentic ISIS proclamations

LAWRENCE — France continued airstrikes against ISIS strongholds Monday in response to last week’s deadly terrorist attacks in Paris. Officials also announced the arrest of nine people Monday in Lebanon in connection with a pair of suicide bombings that claimed more than 40 lives. Raj Bhala, associate dean of international and comparative law and Rice Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas School of Law, is available to speak with media about the attacks, response by France, the United States and related topics.

Bhala, an expert in international trade law, can discuss U.S. policy toward the Middle East, Islamic law, trade law as a tool to fight terrorism, Syria and Lebanon, international trade law and policy. The most recent attacks illustrate the tremendous gap between authentic Shari’a and inauthentic ISIS proclamations, the strong condemnations of ISIS by Muslims across the globe, and the urgency to develop an effective strategy to detect, degrade and defeat ISIS, Bhala said.

Bhala, who has traveled in both Syria and France, has a global reputation in the scholarship of international trade law, having lectured around the world and published the acclaimed two-volume treatise Modern GATT Law, a leading textbook, as well as more than three dozen articles. His book “Understanding Islamic Law (Shari’a)” was published by LexisNexis. Bhala practiced international banking law at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York before entering academia, and he currently serves as a legal consultant to Cheniere Energy and other prominent organizations and firms. He has worked in 25 countries, including Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Turkey and India.

To arrange an interview with Bhala, contact Mike Krings at 785-864-8860 or mkrings@ku.edu.