Islam och arvsrätt i det mångkulturella Sverige. En internationellt privaträttslig och jämförande studie. Islam and Inheritance Law in Multicultural Sweden. A Study in Private International and Comparative law. Iustus Förlag AB, 421 pp. Uppsala 2009. ISSN 0282-2040, ISBN 978-91-7678-741-0.Immigration has meant that to a large extent Sweden’s population at present is heterogeneous as regards culture and religion. In this doctoral thesis the choice of law rules of Swedish private international law relating to inheritance are elucidated in the context of an intestate succession characterised by Islam, to be precise the Egyptian law of inheritance. The Egyptian rules are used as an example of a typical Islamic inheritance system. According to the Act (1937:81) on International Legal Relations Concerning Estate, the choice of law rule relating to inheritance is based on the principle of nationality. This principle means that suitable rules follow the law of the country where the deceased was a citizen at the time of death. Many people in Sweden are citizens of countries with an Islamic inheritance legal order. The Swedish international inheritance rules imply that in these cases the estate will be devolved in accordance with the rules in the country of citizenship, i.e. the Islamic regime. In this study the Swedish conflict rules are analysed in context of a multicultural Sweden. What is the function of succession rules based on religion in a non-Muslim society, where a significant proportion of the population identifies themselves with the Islamic law due to their religious views and affiliation? In what way can a multicultural perspective contribute to the interpretation and application of the international inheritance law regulations in Sweden?

Mosa Sayed, Juridiska institutionen, Uppsala universitet, Box 512, S-751 20, Uppsala, Sweden.