What is Sharia Law Sharia law is hard to define because it is not merely a specific body of laws, nor is it merely a list of things that are prohibited or required of a society. It is more of a methodology and a way of arriving at decisions on how to live life by studying religious texts to determine divine will. Sharia law is also not just a legal system – it is also a moral system, a structure for living life as a devout Muslim. For Muslims who are devout, living life according to the ‘divine will’ is the basis for existence. Sharia law is the anchor for society for devout Muslims and it is based on several factors in a complex web of history, religious texts, interpretation, modern influence, scholars, community, custom, public interest, regionalism and the conduct of the prophet Mohammed. Jurists look at the following to determine divine will for Sharia law: the Quran (the Muslim holy scripture) the Sunna (the sayings and behavior of the prophet Mohammed) consensus of the jurists, scholars and community reasoning by analogy to the above sources preferences of the jurists, public interest, and custom A core interpretation of Islamic law, however, criminalizes the conversion of Muslims to other religions, which is punishable by death. Muslim women are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims, although Muslim men are permitted to marry outside their faith. Children, by law, must follow their father’s religion. As a legal system, Islams Sharia law further covers a wide range of subjects, but the stipulations of the Sharia law are unlike any other legal system in the world. According to the Sharia law: Theft is punishable by amputation of the right hand. Criticising or denying any part of the Quran is punishable by death. Criticising or denying Mohammed as a prophet is punishable by death. Converting from Islam is punishable by death. Leading a Muslim away from Islam is punishable by death. A Muslim woman marrying a non-Muslim woman is punishable by death. A woman can have one husband, but a man can have up to four wives. A man can beat his wife for insubordination. Testimonies of four male witnesses are required to prove rape against a woman. A woman who has been raped cannot testify in court against her rapist(s). A womans testimony in court, allowed only in property cases, carries half the weight of a mans. A female heir inherits half of what a male heir inherits. Muslims should engage in Taqiyya, the practice of lying to non-Muslims to advance Islam. The list goes on...
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 21:41:56 +0000
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