Codification of Muslim Family Laws of Pakistan and Malaysia: An Evolutionary Comparative Study

Codification is the creation of codes, the compilation of written statues, rules, and regulations that inform the public of the acceptable and the unacceptable behaviour. Muslim jurists had differed in their opinion of codification of Islamic laws; some supported the idea, while the others opposed it. However, in the contemporary global situation, Muslim scholars are emphasizing the importance of codification of Islamic laws and efforts have been initiated in many Muslim countries to codify them. In the current paper, the evolution of Muslim Family Laws of Pakistan and Malaysia has been comparatively studied. Malaysia has been selected due to its technological and economic advancement among the Muslim countries. Malaysia serves as an example in the modem codification of Islamic Laws. In Pakistan, Criminal and Penal Laws are codified while the Muslim Family Laws have not been codified and left scattered in various acts, ordinances and court decisions. The Malaysian Family Law are codified in one volume and enacted after necessary legislation through an act of the parliament. The objective of this comparative evolutionary study is to provide a practical model for the Islamization and codification of Muslim Family Laws in Pakistan.

Development of a Guide by Postgraduate Residents on Receiving Feedback from Faculty in the Operating Theatre at Aga Khan University Hospital

Background: Direct observation of residents in clinical encounters by faculty and assessment for learning has now become a key component of postgraduate training programs. DOPS, a workplace-based assessment form, was designed to provide formative assessment and feedback about a trainee’s procedural skills. Interactions between residents and faculty are central to this learning process and are influenced by multiple factors both at faculty and resident levels as well as contextual factors. The feedback may be used by the receiver to contemplate behaviour change. The receptivity of the resident to the feedback is a key determinant as to whether the process to permanent behaviour change (learning) will occur. Studies have shown discordance between intended feedback by faculty and that received by trainees. It has been noted that top-down approaches to improve receptiveness of feedback have little influence on students’ experience. Tips for trainees have been proposed to make best use of feedback which provide strategies to reflect, interact and respond to feedback from faculty. These tips are numerous to memorize and recall, overlapping in their composition and not specific for the Aga Khan University setting. This study sought to locally-develop the AKUH O.R Feedback tips, a resident driven action research tool based on the twelve tips, to improve receptivity of feedback from faculty at AKUHN. Objective: To develop a feedback guide that postgraduate residents can use to improve their receptivity of feedback received from faculty in the operating theatre after a directly observed procedural skill at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi. Design: A Qualitative action research study. Method: Consented first-year residents from general surgery, anesthesiology, obstetrics and gynecology underwent direct observation in the operating room by faculty after which they received feedback. They then participated in focus group discussions lasting 90-120 minutes during which they expressed their feelings and perceptions towards their feedback, identified problems and proposed remedies. The discussions were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, verified, anonymized and analyzed using NVIVO 10 software. Giorgi phenomenological qualitative method was used to develop themes. They were then introduced to the “twelve tips of making the best use of feedback” as compiled by Van der Leeuw and Slootweg during interactive workshop. They reflected on their experience, identified with and modified the tips to best suit the academic and workplace environment at Aga Khan University Hospital operating theatre. The AKUHN Feedback tips were formulated and their response to the guide was then analyzed. Results: The residents