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So, after much indecision, it looks like at least for the next six months I'll be posting a weekly entry on "Sharia law" as part of my English project. It's a really controversial topic, and as much as I wouldn't want to be biased, I am... so throughout the following fifteen weeks I will be writing about what I learn and my opinion on it. Feel free to comment.
P.S. I'll try to keep mistakes to a minimum for all you Grammar Nazis out there.
Brief Background
Sharia law is one of the most controversial aspects of the Islamic religion, it's basically their "legal system [...] derived from both the Koran, as the word of God, the example of the life of the prophet Muhammad, and fatwas - the rulings of Islamic scholars" (BBC).
Sharia law has been condemned widely since it differs to most legal systems in the fact that it ends up being a way of living that Muslims under it must follow; it covers things that go from serious crimes to very simple daily tasks. Most concerns are in the human rights violations, but in practice Sharia law is somewhat different in each country. In some nations, such a Saudi Arabia, it is much more common to see people getting very gruesome punishments (BBC).
A very important aspect of Sharia law is that Muslims are expected to follow this set of rules even when living out of there country, some Sharia courts can be found in countries such as the United Kingdom, but this is a topic I'll dwell upon later (BBC).
I hope this gave you and idea on what Sharia law is, of course this is a much broader and complex topic, but you'll hear from me every week.
Works Cited
Casciani, Dominic. "Q&A: Sharia Law Explained." BBC News. 4 July 2008. Web. 17 Aug. 2011. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7234870.stm>.
Interesting...
ResponderEliminarI've always found the cultural differences with Islam fascinating. Most religions have members of all types of dedication to their belief, from the Pope to a common non-practicing Mexican citizen. But Islam (or, more properly, the little I know about Islam) seems to be pure fanatics. Everybody is extremely uptight about the rules; they still occasionally stone a woman to death for showing her face on public, and such. Now while this might be product of media disinformation, this is the image I (and a lot of other Westerners) have of them. The Sharia Law is a big part of it, and what a lot of people have issues with. I look forward to learning more about it, so maybe I can gain a more informed and objective view on this controversial subject. A couple of pointers on your post, though:
Don’t quote the BBC so much. They are reliable for a news station, but then again, they ARE a news station. Integral journalism is a concept that exists only in paper, and sometimes out of laziness, bias or plain human error these guys get their facts wrong. Or double check somewhere else, at least. Just a suggestion!
I would like to see more about the social and cultural impact of this law, I’ve heard this is a bit of a problem in some countries in Europe (and when I say a bit, I mean illegal) and it could be thought-provoking if you talked about that a little.
Also, first.