sharia law

Federal Court Says OK Sharia Law Amendment Is Unconstitutional

A federal court has upheld U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange’s decision to block an amendment that would ban Sharia Law in Oklahoma. Muneer Awad, an executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, sued after the amendment was approved by 70 percent of the voters in November of 2010, claiming it violated his First Amendment rights.

Awad argued that a ban on Sharia law would “likely affect every aspect of his life,” and even affect the execution of his will. The amendment specifically mentions Sharia law twice, along with the “legal precepts of other nations or cultures,” and that wording seems to be the crux of the ruling.

Supporters of the amendment say it is intended to ban all religious laws, however the court said that Sharia law was specifically noted, and that the all-inclusive argument conflicted with the ‘plain language’ of the amendment.

The court also said the backers couldn’t cite any case where an Oklahoma court applied Sharia or any other international laws. While the court said that mr. Awad made a “strong showing” of potential harm, it seems to ignore the “potential harm” Sharia law might impose on others, should it be put to the test.

Fox News reports that the amendment in part reads,

“The courts shall not look to the legal precepts of other nations or cultures. Specifically, the courts shall not consider international law or Sharia law.”

What do you think? Is the amendment a knee-jerk reaction to Islamic law, a result of ‘Islamophobia’ that infringes upon First Amendment rights, or is it a needed clarification of current law that addresses the inevitable?

Solution to Food Shortages in the Middle East Considered

Perhaps you are unaware, but much of the protests, demonstrations, marches, and days of rage in the Middle Eastern nations and North Africa were a byproduct of high food commodity prices. the so-called Arab spring may not have actually started due to anger with various governments. Yes, there are folks in these places that want freedom and democracy, but there are also folks who want Sharia Law, and to bring back the culture, one which is fading away and changing before their eyes as Western Culture is flowing in.

If the food commodity prices were not that high, and people had plenty of food in their belly, perhaps they wouldn’t rebel in the first place, or at least that is the theory. And as per the breakdowns of human civilization and society, there is an old famous quote; a stable society is only three meals away from chaos, or something to that affect. And that means to say that after going without three meals, humans get a little crazy, and they start going out and looking for food, and when they are in big groups all of society starts to break down.

So what might be the solution to the food shortages in the Middle East? Well, when the food shortages get too low, and the supply-chain cannot keep up due to high wheat prices, droughts in parts of the world, and other issues, perhaps they might extend the fasting which goes along with Ramadan from 30 days to 90 days. Humans can get along with fewer calories and less food under the duress of extreme seasonality and droughts. We know this because humans have survived this long, and they are genetically encoded to deal with such situations.

Extend Ramadan from 30-days to 3-months

Is this really a viable solution you ask? Well, why not? In fact, the reason that they fast for 30 days could indeed be that the culture and religion was adapting to real-life situations where the food supply became short in the summer months, and they really had no choice. It may perhaps be that the Ramadan holiday adopted the 30 day fasting to protect from utter chaos during these times. That would make perfect sense. Very often religious doctrines have adopted various policies to deal with civilization’s challenges.

Going without food for 90 days is a real problem you might think? but it’s really not, after all Ramadan prescribes that you cannot eat during the day, but it doesn’t say anything about the evenings after sunset. however after sunset you are getting ready to go to bed, you don’t necessarily want to eat a big meal, as you are tired and you’re getting ready to go to sleep. If humans curtail their activities during the day and take it easy, they don’t need as many calories or as much nourishment to get through the day.

That would be a good thing, and it would prevent excessive riots and protests which are exacerbated by food supply. indeed I hope you will please consider all this from an intellectual standpoint, and if you have any comments, concerns, or questions please shoot me an e-mail.

Transitional Leader Calls for Sharia Law as Country Celebrates Liberation

The transitional government leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil called on Libyans to show “patience, honesty and tolerance” and eschew hatred as they embark on rebuilding the country at the end of an 8-month civil war.

Abdul-Jalil set out a vision for the post-Qaddafi future with an Islamist tint, saying that Islamic Sharia law would be the “basic source” of legislation in the country and that existing laws that contradict the teachings of Islam would be nullified. 

In a gesture that showed his own piety, he urged Libyans not to express their joy by firing in the air, but rather to chant “Allahu Akbar,” or God is Great. he then stepped aside and knelt to offer a brief prayer of thanks.

“This revolution was looked after by God to achieve victory,” he told the crowd at the declaration ceremony in the eastern city of Benghazi, the birthplace of the uprising against Qaddafi began. he thanked those who fell in the fight against Qaddafi’s forces. “This revolution began peacefully to demand the minimum of legitimate rights, but it was met by excessive violence.”

Tens of thousands gathered in the eastern city of Benghazi Sunday as Libya’s transitional leader declared his country’s liberation, three days after ousted dictator Muammar Qaddafi was captured and killed.

President Obama congratulated Libya on their declaration of liberation.

“After four decades of brutal dictatorship and eight months of deadly conflict, the Libyan people can now celebrate their freedom and the beginning of a new era of promise,” Obama said in a statement.

“We look forward to working with the NTC and an empowered transitional government as they prepare for the country’s first free and fair elections,” Obama said.

The liberation celebration was clouded, however, by mounting calls for an investigation into whether Qaddafi was executed while in custody.

An autopsy confirmed that Qaddafi died from a gunshot to the head, Libya’s chief pathologist, Dr. Othman al-Zintani, said hours before the liberation declaration was to start the clock on a transition to democracy.

However, the pathologist said he would not disclose further details or elaborate on Qaddafi’s final moments, saying he would first deliver a full report to the attorney general. Libya’s acting prime minister said he would not oppose an investigation, but cited an official reporting saying a wounded Qaddafi was killed in cross-fire following his capture.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Britain’s new defense secretary, Philip Hammond, said a full investigation is necessary.

The Libyan revolutionaries’ image had been “a little bit stained” by Qaddafi’s death, Hammond said Sunday, adding that the new government “will want to get to the bottom of it in a way that rebuilds and cleanses that reputation.”

“It’s certainly not the way we do things,” Hammond told BBC television. “We would have liked to see Col. Qaddafi going on trial to answer for his misdeeds.”

Clinton told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that she backs a proposal that the United Nations investigate Qaddafi’s death and that Libya’s National Transitional Council look into the circumstances, too.

The 69-year-old Qaddafi was captured wounded, but alive Thursday in his hometown of Sirte, the last city to fall to revolutionary forces. Bloody images of Qaddafi being taunted and beaten by his captors have raised questions about whether he was killed in crossfire as suggested by government officials or deliberately executed.

Qaddafi’s body has been on public display in a commercial freezer in a shopping center in the port city of Misrata, which suffered from a bloody siege by regime forces that instilled a virulent hatred for the dictator in Misrata’s residents. People have lined up for days to view the body, which was laid out on a mattress on the freezer floor. the bodies of Qaddafi’s son Muatassim and his ex-defense minister Abu Bakr Younis also were put on display, and people wearing surgical masks have filed past, snapping photos of the bodies.

The New York-based group Human Rights Watch, which viewed the bodies, said video footage, photos and other information it obtained “indicate that they might have been executed after being detained.”

“Finding out how they died matters,” said Sarah Leah Whitson of Human Rights Watch. “It will set the tone for whether the new Libya will be ruled by law or by summary violence.”

The Syrian-based Al-Rai TV station, which has served as a mouthpiece for the Qaddafi clan, said the dictator’s wife, Safiya, also demanded an investigation.

“I am proud of the bravery of my husband, Muammar Qaddafi, the holy warrior, and my sons who confronted the aggression of 40 countries over the past six months,” the station quoted the widow as saying in a statement.

Jibril, the acting Libyan prime minister, said he would not oppose an inquiry into Qaddafi’s death, but that there is “no reason” to doubt the credibility of an official report that the ousted leader died in cross-fire.

“Have you seen a video of somebody killing him? I haven’t seen any video tape or mobile film that shows somebody is killing Qaddafi,” Jibril told reporters in Jordan where he was attending an international economic conference.

“What I told the press several times … (is) that coroner says in the medical report that he (Qaddafi) was already wounded, taken out, put in that truck and on the way to the field hospital there was cross-fire from both sides,” Jibril said. Jibril said it’s unclear whether the fatal bullet was fired by loyalists or revolutionary forces.

The vast majority of Libyans seemed unconcerned about the circumstances of the hated leader’s death, but rather was relieved the country’s ruler of 42 years was gone, clearing the way for a new beginning.

“If he (Qaddafi) was taken to court, this would create more chaos, and would encourage his supporters,” said Salah Zlitni, 31, who owns a pizza parlor in downtown Tripoli. “Now it’s over.”

The long-awaited declaration of liberation starts the clock on Libya’s transition to democracy. the transitional leadership has said it would declare a new interim government within a month of liberation and elections for a constitutional assembly within eight months, to be followed by votes for a parliament and president within a year.

At the ceremony in Benghazi, Abdul-Jalil outlined several changes to align with Islamic law.

“This revolution was looked after by God to achieve victory,” he said.

Abdul-Jalil said new banks would be set up to follow the Islamic banking system, which bans charging interest as a practice deemed usury. for the time being, he said interest would be canceled from any personal loans already taken out and less than $7,500.

He also announced the annulment of an existing family law that limits the number of wives Libyan can take, contradicting the provision in the Muslim holy book, the Quran, that allows men up to four wives.

And he urged Libyans to hand back money or property taken during the civil war.

Abdul-Jalil thanked those who fought and fell in the fight against Qaddafi’s forces.

“They are somewhere better than here, with God,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Difference in Family Law Between the West and Sharia Law

Sharia Law is the body of law generally used in Islamic countries. It is the most widely used religious law on the planet. Many aspects of Sharia Law differ from the laws in western nations in Europe and North America. one of the areas where Sharia law is different is in Family Law.

There is much debate within the Islamic world, and outside of it, of which interpretations of Sharia Law are correct and which are not. It is often accused of treating women badly, but there is a school of though that it was invented to protect women. as the practice of Sharia Law varies in different cultures and countries, this article may not be accurate according to all nations the practice it. Some countries, such as Iran, Sudan and Saudi Arabia strongly go by their own interpretations of Sharia Law, while countries including India and Pakistan are more liberal.

Many of the principles within Sharia Law is based around family. Unlike western cultures, when we talk about Family Law, certain behaviours within the family is demanded by law or against the law, and failure to comply can carry punishments. there are a series of so called Hadd crimes, and these include adultery and false accusations of adultery. Sexual activity outside of a marriage and homosexuality also fall under this category. In certain cases those committing these crimes could receive sentences such as stoning or the death penalty. these are rare these days though, and in the vast majority of cases a lesser punishment is given.

When it comes to divorce, laws can be very different than in the West. In some areas divorce is solely the decision of men, whereas in others women have equal rights to a divorce. one interpretation of the law is that a man simply has to say the Islamic equivalent of I divorce you three times for a divorce to be official. this means that saying this in a moment of weakness could mean the end of a marriage, even if it is not what he really wanted. if he then changes his mind, his wife will have to wait three months before marrying and divorcing someone else, and then wait another three months before marrying her original husband. this is much different from a western divorce where a divorce must go through the courts before being granted and can take several months of even years.

The way that men and women are treated when it comes to divorce varies in certain interpretations of Sharia Law and western family law. In Sharia Law certain rights such as custody of children and ownership of property tend to go more to men, whereas in Europe, for example, they are more likely to go to women, although this depends on the circumstances.