Sharia Law - we’ve been hearing about this all over the place lately. It's a tentpole
of the Taliban, and it's what ISIS wants for Iraq and Syria. It's also used in the legal
systems of the United Arab Emirates. But obviously those are very different groups and situations.
So, what is Sharia law?
Well, there’s no set list of things that are, or aren’t, Sharia Law. In Arabic, Sharia
is roughly translated to “path to the watering hole” and it refers to a system meant to
control all aspects of its followers’ lives. That includes daily routines, familial and
religious obligations, and financial dealings. It prescribes punishments, but those punishments
don’t necessarily have to be draconian or harsh. If the particular sect of Islam that
wrote those Sharia laws is more focused on charity and loose interpretations of the Quran,
then they wouldn’t include things like stoning or amputation. In the vast majority of Muslim
communities, an “eye for an eye” is seen as an analogy - not as a literal instruction.
But extremist groups, like ISIS and the Taliban, have a more literal interpretation of the
Quran and other teachings, so their version of Sharia Law includes things like stoning...
and the oppression of women... and “an eye for an eye.”
Like with all laws, it comes down to who is making the law and how they’re enforcing
it. When we talk about militant Jihadists, it’s important to include their desire for
Sharia Law in the conversation - because the goal of establishing Sharia law reveals a
lot about these groups.
The teachings that these extremists use, are from the 7th and 8th centuries - a time when
institutionalized slavery, honor killings, and the general oppression of women were the
norm. So if a group is taking these teachings literally, then we can expect to see a lot
of human rights violations.
Plus, we know the group wants a legal system with absolutely no separation of Church and
state. Not only does that give an undue amount of power to the people in charge, it also
creates natural incentives by which they can restrict freedom of religion, freedom of speech,
and freedom of assembly.
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