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1. WHAT IS SHARIAH OR SHARIAH ISLAMIC LAW?
Shariah is Islamic law and represents the traditional or “pure” normative interpretation of the Qur’an and teachings of Mohammed, as developed by Shariah scholars and jurists during Islam’s early centuries. It has remained largely unchanged for over 1200 years and is practiced today in these areas:
o Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan
o Recognized as the supreme law of the land in almost all Arab regimes (although not always put into practice)
o Afghanistan and the Swat region of Pakistan, under Taliban control
o Parts of Nigeria, Indonesia, and Somalia
o As of January 2009, Hamas-controlled Gaza strip
o Al-Qaeda radicals practicing terrorism
2. HOW IS SHARIAH RELATED TO RADICAL ISLAM?
Implementing Shariah is the agenda of what is often termed Radical Islam or Political Islam. Shariah-driven Islam is a political movement much like Communism, in that “true” Muslims are required to relinquish all control of personal, business, family, and religious life to the rulings of Shariah “authorities” (the ‘ulema’ who act as legislators, judges, and law enforcement) in the service of this totalitarian political order. The goal is to wage Jihad (cultural, financial, or violent) to create a one world order, united under Islam, where Church and State are one.
3. DO ALL MUSLIMS WANT TO LIVE UNDER SHARIAH LAW?
No. Newspapers report bloody struggles in Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand, Egypt, and Jordan between secular liberty-minded Muslims and theocratic Shariah militants. However, as Shariah Islam expands its reach worldwide, polls suggest increasing support for enforcing strict application of Shariah law in Islamic countries: 65% of Egyptians, 76% of Pakistanis, and 49% of Indonesians - www.worldpublicopinion.org. Yet Shariah law silences nearly 750 million women and children.
4. WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF SHARIAH LAW?
The Reliance of the Traveller, Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law is the authoritative Sunni Shariah rulebook (available at Barnes and Noble).
o Offensive, military Jihad is a religious obligation.
o Inferior status for all non-Muslims (“dhimma”).
o Capital punishment for slandering Islam.
o Capital punishment for apostasy (leaving Islam).
o Women may not leave the house without husbands’ permission; beating disobedient women, polygamy, forced child marriage, and stoning of adulterers are permitted.
o Slavery is legal.
o Lying (taqiyya) to infidels is permitted.
o Capital punishment for homosexuals and lesbians.
Pilgrims circumambulating the Kaaba during the Umrah5. WHO IS THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD?
The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) was formed in the 1920s by Shariah advocates to create a one-world nation-state under Shariah Islamic law. Today, they are in 70+ countries. The Brotherhood works hand-in-hand with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), a 57-member Muslim-majority block in the UN to implement their 1982 plan to invade and conquer the West.
6. WHAT TACTICS ARE USED TO IMPLEMENT THIS STRATEGY?
Below are some of the tactics recommended in the Muslim Brotherhood’s “Project” (see the English translation in Patrick Poole’s article in www.frontpagemag.com):
o Inflaming violence while appearing ‘moderate’
o Inciting hatred against Jews
o Monitoring western media
o Making alliances with western “progressives”
o Establishing financial networks to fund conversion
o Collecting funds to support global jihad
o Who are these Shariah Authorities or Advisors?
Only Shariah authorities (the ‘ulema’) can issue fatwas or legal rulings and only they can interpret Shariah. As Shariah authorities, they authorize, direct, and condone Jihad actions. The mandate that “true” Muslims carry out their fatwas ensures that these authorities can distance themselves from actual acts of terror. Recent fatwas by Shariah authorities resulted in a) the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, b) rioting following the publication of the Danish Mohammad cartoons, and c) the attacks in New York (Sep. 2001), London (Jul. 2007), Madrid (Mar. 2004), and Mumbai (Jan. 2009).
7. WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF CREEPING SHARIAH?
“Creeping Shariah” refers to the incremental adoption of Shariah, in which a single example seems harmless, but taken together, represents a pattern of intention.
No-Go Zones. 751 no-go zones in France where police have turned over control to “religious enforcement” following threats of violence. Girls without Islamic clothing have reportedly been raped. Non-Muslim citizens are urged to stay out. Zones exist in Denmark, the Netherlands, and the UK.
Shariah Courts. 2008: Official recognition of five courts in the UK and one in Texas, USA, with lobbying to create greater legitimization and authority in Minnesota, New Jersey, and California. The intent is to set up parallel courts, in lieu of secular courts and their judgments, in family and business law.
Assault on Freedom of Speech. Feb. 2009: Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders prosecuted for hate speech for his 15-minute film, Fitna.
Books Destroyed. July 2007: Cambridge University Press destroyed its print run of Alms for Jihad: Charity and Terrorism in the Islamic World in reaction to Saudi threats of a slander lawsuit.
Children’s Rights. Mar. 2008: UK reports epidemic of forced child marriages. 2008: Texas father murders teenage daughters for adopting a Western lifestyle.
Women’s Rights. 2008: Successful lobbying for polygamy in Canada and UK; Holland recognizes polygamous marriages. 2009: Buffalo NY, USA. Muslim leader decapitates his wife after she filed for divorce. Honor killing is justified under Shariah law.
Saudi Hate Curriculum. The Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA) in Virginia, remains open, despite reports of hate-filled curricula, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
