It’s time to lay the sharia bogeyman to rest













In the mainstream






Olijaan's picture

johir: I think he did formulate it, thus: "Sharia, which translates not as "Islamic law" or "religious code" but as "pathway to the water", extends beyond the realm of criminal and civil law and covers personal and ethical matters such as sexual relations, diet, hygiene, prayer, fasting and charity."


Keir: that's a nice get-out clause regarding crimes committed in the names of Islam and Christianity - care to elaborate?

Julia Harris's picture

Amstershammer, your making it too easy for me, try harder.
I’m only disturbed whenever we discuss the Global Islamic Jihad, people like you try to silence people like me.
The extremists are in plentiful supply in the Islamic world so focusing on them doesn’t make my argument weak at all. It address’s a big problem in Islam. With Sharia, which is what the article is about - has a far wider impact on the wider Muslim and Non-Muslims population living under its auspices. The issues are not that well known to the lay person so its important to put another side to the discussion, not just your convenient lefty Islamic spin on everything.
You are free to list whatever crimes you wish and some are equally as terrible, I’m not comparing Apples with Pears, I am not defending the actions of western nations or others. There countless articles that are critical of Iraq etc, I’ve never called for those people to be quite, let them speak their minds.

This thread however is about Islam and Sharia and we are discussing it here with the full blown facts about the terrible stuff that happens in the name of Islam – whether you like it or not.
If you feel strongly about the aborigines then please do and voice your opinion somewhere else in a relevant debate and criticise in the harshest terms those people - I’m not stopping you.
I dispute your facts, By any objective measure, the Islam "Religion of Peace" has been the harshest, bloodiest religion the world has ever known. In Islam there is no peace unless Muslims have power - and even then..

Keir's picture

The fact is that many Muslims posting on the internet have been asked many times if they support democracy, and there has been no answer. That silence cannot be ignored.

Olijaan's picture

Well said Mehdi. Sharia has indeed become a term that strikes fear into the hearts of many, primarily due to scare-mongering tactics coupled with a simple lack of knowledge. It should be stressed that sharia courts in the UK cannot take precedence over the existing legal system; they are basically advisory and used for civil cases largely related to property, marriage contracts, inheritance, etc. Their use is voluntary, as is adherence to their judgments and anyone unsatisfied with the outcome still, obviously, has recourse to the law. This system also has its counterpart in the Jewish Beth Din, which although well-established does not seem to have provoked anything like the same level of controversy.

Julia Harris's picture


Nathan's picture

Keir: If there's one constituency that can be safely ignored it's "muslims (or indeed socialists/gays/women/conservatives or any other group) posting on the internet"

Amsterdammer's picture

"The extremists are in plentiful supply"

Where is your evidence for that? Of a total world population of 1.5 billion, how many Muslim extremists do you think there are? I'd put the number in the tens of thousands. Out of 1.5 billion. That is not "plentiful" is a tiny, tiny minority.

"Islam has been the harshest, bloodiest religion the world has ever known"

Again, where are your facts? Christianity is equally bloody and harsh. Molesting young children, murdering Jews for thousands of years. The Crusades!!! FFS, the CRUSADES! Ever heard of them? Islam is no more violent than Christianity. Millions have died in the name of Christ, as many as in the name of Islam.

You listed examples of "atrocities... carried out in the name of Islam". You're a dim person Julia. These are examples of EXTREMISTS. They are not representative of Islam as a whole. Just like Timothy McVey, Nazism or the KKK are not representative of Western society. But, by your rationale, you imply they are one and the same!

haha and I are making it too easy for you? wow...I truly am lost for words. You say that, but then come out with more deluded BS that has no evidence or grounding to back it up.

Ok - let’s talk about sharia shall we. Why are you so fearful of Sharia? Your paranoia has led you to believe that Britain, or Europe is somehow under threat from Sharia. This argument is the line of the EDL ffs! There are what, 4 million Muslims in the UK. 20 million in the EU. Out of how many non Muslims? 56 million in the UK and hundreds of millions across the EU. Muslims represent a mere drop in the ocean. You're pathetic paranoia has led you to believe that this faction of society is somehow threatening your lifestyle, your culture. Get over yourself! Put the 'McCarthy' style paranoia only leads to more hate and misunderstanding between the West and Islam. Dialogue is needed and mutual understanding. Not your scheming and hatred.

Anon's picture

@Daulat Ram

What about the large numbers of us who have no religious affiliation? What about those who do not follow any Abrahamic faith? I dont want any Sharia Law in Britain full stop. Britain has Christian heritage but is not that Christian these days. So stop calling modern Britain a Christian country.

AncientBriton's picture

It is not just Sharia we need to worry about.
The maxim 'Give Me the Child Until He is Seven, and I Will Show You the Man' is being exploited in our schools. Islam is continually preached at the expense of other religions, particularly Christianity.
Ignorant of the threat posed by Islamists, non-churchgoing parents are often oblivious to what is going on leaving their children to absorb an ideology in the guise of religion.
See how perceived threats of a devout Coptic priest are dealt with in this ridiculous propaganda video:

Shkara's picture

@ Julia Harris

Cutting a woman's clitoris is not a religious injunction but a cultural practice especially done in Africa, there is no ruling in Sharia stating it. A non-Muslim's life is not less valuable than a Muslim's life, as the follwoing Quranic verse states:

"And whoever saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of an entire people." Holy Quran, 5:35

Lashing does not apply only to women but men also, however this ruling can only be implemented once there are a sufficient number of witnesses and evidence to the crime in question which is often quite difficult hence (assuming the proper procedures are followed) is difficult to execute. Muslims smashing a musical instrument is not a Sharia-inscribed practice but is something probably done by an angry Muslim who's had a bad day, although the subject of what forms of music is permissible in Islam is an ongoing debate. As for Sharia waging war on non-believers, well I'm not even going to bother with that painfully ignorant one.

The fact is that even if someone brought a heap of strong documented evidence to disprove claims the likes of you and other Islamophobes make against Islam, you would still hate the religion, which makes the whole issue all the more tragic. Hate-filled and biased people like you are no help to resolving this conflict.

And the fact that you think the reiligion of Islam is just plain EVIL shows how immature your outlook is, how little you know and how easy you are prepared to make such profoundly unjustified statements. I do not expect you to believe in Islam but at least have the self-respect and decency to view things in a fair manner.