Liaquat Ali Khan initially trained as a civil engineer. He later switched to law, obtaining a law degree from Punjab University, Lahore. In 1976, Khan immigrated to the United States and studied law at New York University School of Law where he received his LL.M. and J.S.D. Khan is a member of the New York Bar. Khan has authored several books, including The Extinction of Nation-States (1996), A Theory of Universal Democracy (2003), A Theory of International Terrorism (2006), and Contemporary Ijtihad: Limits and Controversies (2011). Over the years, he has written numerous law review articles and essays on Islamic law, international law, commercial law, creative writing, legal humor, jurisprudence, the U.S. Constitution, comparative constitutional law, human rights, and foreign policy. His academic writings are used as part of course materials in universities across the world. Khan has devoted much of his academic scholarship to Islamic law and conflicts involving Muslim communities. Khan has participated in Islamic law symposia held at the law schools of Samford University, University of St. Thomas, Barry University, Michigan State University, and Brigham Young University—contributing ground-breaking articles on Islamic jurisprudence. In addition to law articles and academic books, Khan also writes for the popular press in the United States, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent. His legal and foreign affairs commentaries are published worldwide and international media, including BBC, Press TV, NPR, and leading newspapers, seek his comments on world events. In Spring 2007, Khan was a resident legal scholar with the Organization of Islamic Conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He has taught at Washburn University School of Law since 1983.
Articles
The Paradoxical Evolution of Law, Lewis & Clark Law Review (2012)
The paradoxical evolution of law authenticates durability and change. It mediates between the finite and...
A Portfolio Theory of Foreign Affairs: U.S. Relations with the Muslim World, Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems (2011)
The portfolio theory presents foreign policy as a series of financial, military, diplomatic, and ideological...
Taking Ownership of Legal Outcomes: An Argument Against Dissociation Paradigm and Analytical Gaming, Saint Louis University Law Journal (2011)
This article argues that professional responsibilities arise within the connectionist web of laws, ethics, and...
Faith-Based Torture, Global Dialogue (2010)
This Essay focuses on faith-based torture perpetrated against Muslim detainees, torture that was crudely designed,...
The Baqa and Fana Infinities of Islamic Law: Approaches to Islamic Law and Behavior, University of St. Thomas Law Journal (2010)
This article draws two main conclusions. First, meeting both the permanent and evolutionary needs of...
Books
Contemporary Ijtihad: Limits and Controversies (2011)
The resurgence of Islam, geopolitical crises involving Muslim nations, violence associated with Islam and the...
A Theory of International Terrorism: Understanding Islamic Militancy (2006)
A Theory of International Terrorism studies Islamic militancy in the geopolitical contexts of Chechnya, Kashmir,...
A Theory of Universal Democracy: Beyond the End of History (2003)
Democracy is often associated with Western liberal values, such as free markets, individual rights and...
The Extinction of Nation-States: A World without Borders (1996)
This work explores whether the nation-state is a useful concept under contemporary international law. It...
Ghunghru (Urdu) (1975)
Thirty years ago, during the mid-seventies, when I was studying law in Pakistan, I wrote...
Contributions to Books
Commentary on the Constitution of Medina, Understanding Islamic Law (2006)
The first Islamic state was founded not in the shadow of swords, as is commonly...
Legal Scholarship as an Act of Discovery, Legal Education for the 21st Century (1999)
In the present age of depth and legal superstitions, traditional legal scholarship confined to judicial...
Popular Press
A Rising Confederation for Jihad, Huffington Post (2013)
As the West aggregates its resources to collectively fight Muslim militants whether they are in...
The Futility of Pakistan's 18th Amendment, Jurist: Legal News & Research (2008)
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) will soon propose to the Parliament the 18th amendment to...
A Lawyers' Mutiny in Pakistan, Jurist (2007)
The CJP’s suspension is indeed the most critical constitutional issue. Article 209 empowers the President...
The Pakistan Chief Justice Story: A Personal Narrative, JURIST (2007)
On March 9, 2007, I was visiting with a Pakistan Supreme Court Justice in Islamabad...
Unpublished Papers
Arbitral Autonomy, ExpressO (2013)
This Article presents concrete proposals to amend the current arbitration law for minimizing court intervention...
Essay: Infinity of Law, ExpressO (2011)
At a given point in time, law is finite and its constitutive norms can be...
Essay: The Quran and the Constitution, ExpressO (2010)
The Quran and the constitution are mutually supportive supreme texts; one does not negate the...