REFUGEES IN THE MUSLIM WORLD - CONCEPTS, LEGAL-ASPECTS AND PRACTICE

By the opening of the 1990s, about two-thirds of the world's refugees were Muslims or refugees in Muslim countries. The trend was if anythin g expected to continue, with tension and upheaval in the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia contributing their part. In this situation, it i s desirable to gain a better understanding of the concept of refugee i n the Muslim world. Islamic orthodoxy operates with distinct concepts of refugees, yet - as in Western states - refugee policy typically is influenced by additional considerations. Drawing on a small but growin g literature on formal Islamic concepts of refugee, this article relat es these concepts to the historical development of major refugee flows in the Muslim world. Specific reference is given to refugee movements in the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Balkans during the late Ottoman period, and to the khilafat movement in India.