02/12/08
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Sharia is the Islamic system of law that runs such places as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Malaysia. |
Last week, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Church of England, called for the recognition of some of the Sharia courts that exist in England right now. It's a growing issue, not only in Great Britain but also here in the United States, where communities of Muslims have been pressing to have more of their unique religious rites observed.
It is also fast becoming a very interesting legal debate. Sharia law, of course, has in its fully implemented form such eye-catching features as polygamy and very harsh criminal penalties, along with treatment of women that was outlawed by Western legal societies years ago. These have historically been incompatible with U.S. and other traditionally western systems of law.
So this is a large and growing disputed area. The reaction to the archbishop's decision has been swift and almost universally one-sided: a large, resounding "No!"
The current discussion seems to be along the lines of "Sharia is fine for some freely chosen arbitration, but it cannot override our own criminal laws."
Yet critics point to Sharia law creeping in various forms. So this is a matter that won't be going away anytime soon. Here's a hot tip: study up on Sharia if you want to be at the forefront of legal discussion. It will be bound to come in handy somehow.
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