“Sooner” or Later Shariah will take over

Abstract

Some U.S. states have tried or are trying to pass laws to ban all foreign laws from being implemented in their states. Some people claim they are actually trying to ban Shariah. After all, what threat poses a greater risk to the security of the “free world” than radical Islamic fundamentalism? Imagine if the National Anthem became the Azan, the Islamic prayer call in Arabic! Or not knowing if that was a woman inside the Burka, or a camel. All while you try to wrap your “towel-head” around the idea of your precious daughter and up to three other gals sharing the same polygamous Muslim guy, whose children’s first words will not be “da-da”, but “durka-durka”! Though Osama may have approved of this, it is not a completely accurate portrayal of Shariah. Though the aforementioned thoughts are exaggerated, people are still concerned, most of the time irrationally, about Islam potentially destroying the sanctity of American values.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The interpretation of the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution is controversial. The interpretation of religions is also controversial. Islam is arguably the most controversial religion in the world today, and was perhaps so even from its inception. According to USA Today, in recent years, a number of U.S. states have tried to ban Shariah from being used in their states, and some have successfully done so, or so they think. In an era of rapid globalization, the War on Terror, and “man buns”, a rational question for any beer-drinking, flesh-of-swine-eating, Jesus-loving, red-blooded American to ask is: Are Shariah and the U.S. Constitution compatible? In order to answer this, one must understand what Shariah is and how it is applied.

Shariah is an Arabic word meaning Islamic law. Followers of Islam, who call themselves Muslims, believe a man named Muhammad was the last prophet and the model for them to emulate. They believe Allah, an Arabic word meaning eternal and indivisible, as the Quran says in the sixteenth Ayah of Surah al Ikhlas, which is 112th chapter of the Muslims’ Holy book is called in Arabic, “Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him”, makes those it enabled to think and act accordingly feel what they want or do not want after or when they do what they know it told them to do or not do. Non-Muslim Arabs also call God Allah. Someone may not care for something, but he or she chooses that over what he or she does not want. So what he or she did not care for became what he or she wants. The Quran says in Surah al Maidah, among others, “To those who believe and do deeds of righteousness hath Allah promised forgiveness and a great reward”. This is the same concept of heaven and hell, which are called Jannah and Jahannam in Arabic, as is in other religions. The Quran says in Muslims believe Allah told them in the Quran what to do and not do. The main goal of Muslims regarding others is to tell them about Islam so they will become Muslims and do the same. Muhammad did not instantly believe in Islam when an angel is said to have told him about it, so killing people for not believing in Islam even after they are told about it is not Islamic. To be a Muslim, one must believe in Islam, and belief cannot be forced. Telling people about Islam is not enough to judge them by, as they may not have heard or completely understood you. Some people tried to hurt and kill Muhammad after hearing his message, but later became Muslims and his greatest allies. Muhammad protected non-Muslims rights, and the non-Muslims he gave an ultimatum were those who were trying to kill him. The Quran says in chapter seventeen, verse sixteen, “When We decide to destroy a population, We (first) send a definite order to those among them who are given the good things of this life and yet transgress; so that the word is proved true against them: then (it is) We destroy them utterly.”

If people disagree to do something, the only way they will agree to do it is if they fear being hurt as a result of disagreeing. If they do not accept doing something after being hurt, the only ways for those hurting them to have what they want if they have conflicting interests is to prevent them from having an effect by exiling them, imprisoning them, disabling them, or killing them. Thus, the only way to apply Shariah to other people is if they are Muslims in an Islamic state or move to an Islamic state, which is called Caliphate in Arabic. They can do what they want as long as it does not harm others without necessity. There is a tax they must pay for protection and other things, but all government requires payment of taxes as part of the covenant. Some people fear Islamic punishment for crimes, which is called Hudud in Arabic, but punishments for crimes have to be painful, as they try to prevent others from being hurt by the criminal. And, without using more logic, most of them are only applied to Muslims, so choose not to be a Muslim if you do not want to follow Islamic rules. There is no punishment for leaving Islam, unless you lie about it and do not apologize after being proved the truth, or tell Muslim battle plans and strategies to the enemies, also known as treason. A religion is unfair if people are forced or threatened to obey it and do not know why, or if it does not give what it says, or gives some people more opportunities than others, which Islam does not do, so suggesting reform is pointless. Regardless, the worst punishment in Islam and other religions is hell, so be worried of what may happen further in the future than the near future.

Some people want certain acts to be rewarded or punished in a particular way or not. Others do not, which is why there were and are different rules at different times and places. People do what they want to if they can. What they want can be relative to a situation. Even if they wanted to do something, but then they prioritize something else, what they prioritized became more of what they want, though they may regret not doing what they originally planned. You can never know for sure what others think, and they may express themselves differently than you, or the same expressions you and them have may represent different thoughts and feelings. Others may not want what you do. Coincidentally though, others may want what you do, and it may be unlimited, so there is no conflict, but perhaps unity. Therefore, morality is subjective. Ethics are what is normal in a society, but not necessarily all. If you come from a different environment, you may have different perspectives on values. What truly matters is that what people do in private, which is the area they were first in which others cannot sense what they do, not being infringed upon, because what you do not know cannot hurt you. Muslims do strive to establish an abode of Islam in the world, which is called Dar-al-Islam in Arabic, but only through peaceful means.

Muslims follow Shariah in everything they do. The most important parts of Shariah are personal, such as the belief in Allah and Muhammad, which is called Tawheed in Arabic, prayer, which is called Salat in Arabic, fasting, which is required for all able Muslims during Ramadan, charity, which is called Zakat in Arabic, and traditional pilgrimage to Mecca at least once for all those able to, which is called Hajj in Arabic.

According to the Huffington Post, Shariah literally means a path to be followed, and also commonly refers to a path to water. According to another  Huffington Post article, it can have many interpretations, and is derived from the Quran and sayings and acts of Muhammad, which are called Sunnah in Arabic, and are derived from narrations about Muhammad, which are called Hadith in Arabic.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, though some people argue, even among Muslims, that the system of government in the U.S. is incompatible with Islam, others argue to the contrary, saying that it is permitted in the Quran as a mutual agreement between Muslims and the government in the place they choose to live. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, some people claim Shariah is against the U.S. Constitution because it bans foreign laws from being applied in the U.S., but others criticize them for supposedly taking it out of context and are really being dishonest, bigoted, and hypocritical.

 

According to the Wall Street Journal, the ban on Sharia in Oklahoma was ruled as being unconstitutional by a U.S. judge. But some people still argue Sharia is a threat (Kelley, 2013). They also claim Sharia is not the only “foreign law” banned by these proposed amendments, according to thinkprogress.org. Muslims can have different interpretations of Islam, but others many times associate all Muslims with extremists (Fallon, 2013). As a result, Muslims are being profiled and attacked, even by police and government agencies (Ali, 2012).

People may fear what they do not understand. Miscommunication and misuse of words is likely at least partly to blame for conflict and tension between Muslims and non-Muslims. Jihad and Fatwa are arguably the most misused Islamic words, among both non-Muslims and Muslims. Jihad is the struggle humans endure seeking to find and accept the truth, which is called Haqq in Arabic. There are different levels of Jihad, and one is violent, but only in the context of self-defense. Fatwa are religious decrees or verdicts on Islamic jurisprudence, which is called Fiqh in Arabic, not death sentences, as it is commonly used now to refer to after the Salman Rushdie incident, among others.

Terrorism should be one of the least concerning threats to the U.S. The number of violent crimes in the U.S. far exceeds “Islamic terrorist” attacks in the U.S. More Muslims are killed by Muslims than are non-Muslims. If anything, Muslims should be scared of themselves. After all, they are all suicide-bombers. Also, if people accept Shariah, then they obviously do not want it banned. And if Muslims can enforce it, then ink on paper will not stop them. So trying to pass a bill banning Sharia is useless, and perhaps detrimental, as the resources used could have been put into something important.

The U.S. is a majority Christian nation. Islam respects the right of people of all other beliefs to practice their religion among themselves or believe what they want, but holds special reverence for Christians, who it calls People of the Book, which is translated from Ahlul-kitab in Arabic. Muslims believe Islam was in different forms at different times and places, and that Christianity, was once at least, Islam, and that Jesus was a Prophet born to a virgin, but not the literal son of God. The Quran says in chapter two, verse sixty-two of the Quran, “Those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”

Muslims did attack the U.S. on September 11, 2001. But they killed Muslims in the World Center too, and Muslim firefighters and other civil service workers responded and helped victims and tried to save people. So Muslim terrorists, as well as any other type of terrorist, such as in the Oklahoma City bombings among the many other terrorist attacks committed by non-Muslims, should be a concern. However, people need to have empathy. Do not take for granted being brought up with a particular religious or non-religious background, because it could have been different. Judge yourself before judging others, and hear all the sides to a story. The future will happen and you do not know how, so be honest and that is the only way to be successful. Banning Shariah is nonsense and should not be discussed while there are so many real issues to discuss, as it is simply propaganda. Society could be advancing, but instead of progressing as a whole, some people would rather be selfish and greedy. People should criticize views that are damaging, but damaging others to do so is contradictory. Preventing or stopping people from practicing their religion is hypocritical and counter-productive, and leads to more conflict.

References

Ali, Y. (2012).  Shariah and Citizenship—How Islamophobia Is Creating a Second-Class

Citizenry in America.  California Law Review, 100(4), 1027-1068.

FALLON, S. M. (2013).  JUSTICE FOR ALL: AMERICAN MUSLIMS, SHARIA LAW, AND

MAINTAINING COMITY WITHIN AMERICAN JURISPRUDENCE.  Boston College International & Comparative Law Review, 36(1), 153-182. 

Kelley, B. J. (2013).  Bad Moon Rising: The Sharia Law Bans.  Louisiana Law Review, 73(2), 9.