Through scare tactics and deliberate misinformation campaigns, anti-Muslim propagandists insist wrongly that shariah is a draconian and oppressive Islamic law that all Muslims must abide by. They circulate horror stories, encouraging Americans to fear the “takeover of shariah” law in America and even mounting “anti-shariah protests” . . . . with zero evidence that shariah has taken over any part of our country. (That’s because it hasn’t.) It would be almost funny if it weren’t so terrifyingly wrong - as puzzling as if Americans suddenly began protesting the Martian occupation of Earth.
Demystifying Shariah explains that shariah is not one set of punitive rules or even law the way we think of law—rigid and enforceable - but religious rules and recommendations that provide Muslims with guidance in various aspects of life. Sumbul Ali-Karamali draws on scholarship and her degree in Islamic law to explain shariah in an accessible, engaging narrative style - its various meanings, how it developed, and how the shariah-based legal system operated for over a thousand years. She explains what shariah means not only in the abstract but in the daily lives of Muslims. She discusses modern calls for shariah, what they mean, and whether shariah is the law of the land anywhere in the world. She also describes the key lies and misunderstandings about shariah circulating in our public discourse, and why so many of them are nonsensical.
This engaging guide is intended to introduce you to the basic principles, goals, and general development of shariah and to answer questions like: How do Muslims engage with shariah? What does shariah have to do with our Constitution? What does shariah have to do with the way the world looks like today? And why do we all—Muslims or not—need to care?
Introduction
PART I: THE BASICS AND FOUNDATIONS OF SHARIAH
CHAPTER ONE
Shariah in a Nutshell
CHAPTER TWO
Muhammad and the Birth of Islam
CHAPTER THREE
The Qur’an: The Primary Source of Shariah
CHAPTER FOUR
The Sunna: The Second Source of Shariah
CHAPTER FIVE
Sunni, Shi‘a, and Others
PART II: THE STORY OF SHARIAH
CHAPTER SIX
What Shariah Is and How It Works
CHAPTER SEVEN
Religious Minorities within the Shariah System
CHAPTER EIGHT
Shattering a Millennium and Disrupting a Civilization
CHAPTER NINE
Shariah in Postcolonial Muslim-Majority Countries
CHAPTER TEN
The Scary Stuff: Punishments
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Shariah in Everyday Life
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Disinformation Campaign and Shariah in America
PART III: RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEM
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Islamophobia and Why We Have the Stereotypes
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
“Taking something as complex as the Sharia and exploring it succinctly, lucidly, and without oversimplification is where this book excels. Well-suited—and highly recommended—for general readers (both Muslim and non-Muslim) with an interest in Sharia.” - Booklist, Starred Review
“Refreshingly, she shies away from giving a simple definition, instead characterizing Shariah as a broad and in some ways all-encompassing system of Islamic wisdom . . . Ali-Karamali’s explanation of Shariah is a useful counter to the perceptions of many in the West . . . Her book is significant in a time of continued misconceptions about Islam.” - Kirkus Reviews
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