Sharia Law in the Us

Sharia Law in the United States

Sharia is an Arabic word that literally means a path to be followed. There are two sources of Sharia, The Quaran and The Sunnah. The Quaran is considered to be the literal word of God by most Muslims. The Sunnah is the divinely guided tradition of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. The term Sharia is broad and encompasses both a personal and moral code and religious law. Sharia law is hard to define because it is not a specific body of laws. It is basically a guide used to make decisions on how to live life by studying texts to determine divine will. For Muslims, Sharia law is the anchor for society.

In countries like Turkey, which is majority Muslim, the national legal system is secular but individuals may follow Sharia Law and it may be used to make decisions in legal matters. There are some violent and extreme interpretations of Sharia. The Taliban used this to rule in Afghanistan. This extreme interpretation is mostly what we hear about on the news in the United States and this is where the conflict begins. Sharia Law allows extreme punishment for Zina (Unlawful Intercourse/adultery), but this applies only to women. A woman can be convicted if four adult Muslim men provide their testimony or if she confesses. The punishment can be stoning, lashing or death. A man cannot be convicted of Zina, since no woman has exclusive rights to her husband, and the husband has no exclusive bond with his wife. Theft is punished by cutting off the right hand. Each conviction that follows will cost another appendage. There are many ways to execute a criminal under Sharia. Typical execution is beheading by sword in public. Homosexuals are stoned to death, beheaded, thrown from a high wall, hanged and buried alive. These are the extreme punishments under this law and are not often enforced by governments in Muslim Countries.

Should Sharia law be legal in the United States? Recently the city council in Dearborn, Michigan...