Hatem Elliesie

Hatem Elliesie is a Professor of Islamic Law at Leipzig University (since 2024) and a Research Partner at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology’s Department ‘Law & Anthropology’. He holds additional roles as Head of Junior Research Group at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Acting Professor for Islamic Law at Leipzig University. His expertise bridges legal studies, anthropology, and international policy, focusing on normativity in Islam, human rights, customary law in the Horn of Africa, and Islamic finance.

Education: Studied law and Oriental/African studies across Hannover, Malta, Mannheim, Oxford, Heidelberg, Cairo, and Berlin. Completed judicial service at Berlin’s Kammergericht with postings at the Federal Environmental Agency and German Parliament’s Human Rights Committee.

Research: Active in projects on parallel justice systems, governance in areas of limited statehood, and African legal frameworks. Leads initiatives like the Max Planck Law’s African Law Initiative and chairs the Islamic Finance Working Group (GAIR) and African Law Association. Engages in rule of law promotion via German Federal Office partnerships and judicial training programs.

Professional Roles: Advisor to German courts and government agencies on African legal systems, founder of Amnesty International’s Hong Kong Lawyer’s Group, and organizer of research data management workshops. Previously held research fellowships at Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and participated in the Sudan Peace Project and Afghan judicial reform initiatives.