Sharia
From RationalWiki
Sharia (Arabic شريعة, lit. "the way") is, simply put, Islamic law covering conduct in business and personal relationships. Sharia law is not codified, and is best thought instead as a way to devise laws based on the teachings of the Qur'an and hadiths. In some countries under Sharia law, Mutaween (religious police) enforce the practice of the law.
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[edit] Religious law
Unlike secular laws, Sharia is based on religious teachings, and is seen by traditionalists as a reflection of God’s will. The precepts of Sharia reach beyond criminal law and provide conventions for many other aspects of life, such as diet, clothing and regulated prayer.
There are five main interpretations of Sharia. They are largely based on common precepts, but are by no means identical.
- Hanafi (Sunni. Generally predominant in Central Asia.)
- Hanbali, (Sunni. Generally predominant in Saudi Arabia.)
- Jaafari (Shia. Generally predominant in Iran.)
- Maliki (Sunni. Generally predominant in Northern Africa.)
- Shafi‘i (Sunni. Generally predominant in Indonesia, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia.)
[edit] Implementation
The implementation of Sharia law varies across the globe. Iran and Saudi Arabia base their legal system heavily on their respective interpretations of Sharia, and both these countries have given Sharia courts complete authority over jurisprudence. However, this is an uncommon feature, and many Muslim states use dual systems of secular and religious courts, or only implement the sections of Sharia that address financial and marital issues.
Corporal and capital punishments are common under the stricter interpretations of Sharia, and some judgments can seem incomprehensible to westerners. In November 2007 a multiple rape victim in Saudi Arabia was sentenced to 200 lashes for initially being alone with a man who was not a relative. The victim's lawyer was suspended from the case as a result of the appeal and his license has been revoked.[1] However, as Saudi interpretation of Sharia has been strongly influenced by the dominant Wahhabist movement, such cases cannot be seen as representative of mainstream Sharia as such.
