Sharia 'used in Nigeria politics'

[emad]

BBC News snip


Sharia was very popular in the north when introduced

Governors in Nigeria introduced the criminal aspect of Islamic law as a political tool, according to the pressure group, Human Rights Watch.

Governors in the north of Nigeria are using Sharia, while at the same time condoning human rights abuses under the system, Human Rights Watch said.

Twelve northern Nigerian states have introduced Sharia since the year 2000.

The move initially heightened tensions between Muslims and Christians and led to clashes which left thousands dead.

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3675160.stm

[seemslikeadream]

1. Sharia law

Susie Steiner explains the Islamic legal system which has sentenced a Nigerian woman to be stoned to death

Tuesday August 20, 2002

Why is sharia law in the news?
An Islamic court in Nigeria yesterday upheld a sentence of death by stoning for a woman accused of adultery. The case is the latest in a series of sentences passed under sharia law - a set of religious laws adopted over the past two years in northern regions of Nigeria, which have predominantly Muslim inhabitants.

Sharia law, which derives from the teachings of the Koran and from Sunna (the practice of the prophet Mohammed), is implemented to varying degrees in different Islamic countries - from the beheadings of Saudi Arabia, to the relatively liberal social mores of Malaysia.

What is sharia?

The word sharia means "the path to a watering hole". It denotes an Islamic way of life that is more than a system of criminal justice. Sharia is a religious code for living, in the same way that the Bible offers a moral system for Christians.

It is adopted by most Muslims to a greater or lesser degree as a matter of personal conscience, but it can also be formally instituted as law by certain states and enforced by the courts. Many Islamic countries have adopted elements of sharia law, governing areas such as inheritance, banking and contract law.

What does sharia decree?

Sharia offers a code for living governing all elements of life, from prayers to fasting to donations to the poor. It decrees that men and women should dress modestly, which in some countries is interpreted as women taking the veil and the sexes being segregated.

more
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theissues/article/0,6512,777972,00.html

[emad]

2. I was going to post the DU thread on Iranian Sharia judge who

hanged a 15 year old girl for "having a sharp tongue" - she spoke up in court criticising the fact that her sex attacker had gone unpunished - but all my bookmarks are up the swanee with the mysterious "31 December 69, 11pm" annotation...........

[Charles19]

3. Sharia

The mainstream points of Sharia law are not entertaining enough to make headlines so all you get is extreme cases to see.

Some points of what most scholars agress as Sharia law that may be different or interesting here in the west:

• Making money on interest forbidden.
  
• Borrowing money on interest forbidden.
  
• Death penalty allowed in case of adultery if a number (I believe about four people) witness it. This does not mean seeing two people naked they have to all see them in the act. So it would be nearly impossible for this scenario to come about but it could. So works as a good deterrent.
  

There is more but those are a few that I see either not brought up or distorted the most.

I post simply because if someone tries to implement some law that may not work out like they planned as under Sharia this is often distorted to be Islam as being bad but people trying to implement law to handle things mess up just like in every religion.

Most of United States law is compatible with Islam except the big ones are being the promotion and almost requirement for bank loans and interest payments in the West. However no one is forced to do this so Muslims can easily enough not take loans or give them.