Shariah

Most Americans and Europeans have by now heard of Shariah. In the West, politicians, media commentators, televangelists, and others have stoked fears that Muslims intend to impose a repressive rule based on Shariah in America and Europe. Shariah has been portrayed as a medieval system that
oppresses women, stifles human rights, and imposes harsh punishments like stoning and amputation. In reality, however, Shariah is a complex concept that has been interpreted in many ways over time and around the world. It plays a vital role in the lives of Muslims around the world, offering guidance
on everything from personal morality to ritual practices, family life, and finance.

In this timely addition to Oxford's What Everyone Needs to Know(R) series, John Esposito and Natana DeLong-Bas offer an accessible and thorough guide to this little-understood, but often caricatured system. The book provides clear and even-handed answers to a wide range of questions, covering the
history, development, content, and practice of Shariah. What are its origins? What is a Shariah court and how does it work? How does a person become a Muslim in the eyes of Islamic law? Does Islamic law allow Muslims to marry non-Muslims? What are blasphemy laws, and how are they enforced? How does
Islamic law govern trade and contracts of sale? Do Muslims in the West want Shariah Law? Is there a need to protect American and European societies from the imposition of Shariah?

By answering the questions that so many people have about Shariah and its role in Muslim life, this book makes an invaluable contribution to the crucial task of fostering mutual understanding in our globalizing, pluralistic societies.

"Shariah has been portrayed as a medieval system that oppresses women, stifles human rights, and imposes harsh punishments like stoning and amputation. In reality, however, Shariah is a complex concept that has been interpreted in many ways over time and around the world. It plays a vital role in the lives of Muslims around the world, offering guidance on everything from personal morality to ritual practices, family life, and finance ... [This book is a] ... guide to this little-understood but often caricatured system"--Amazon.com.

"This book could not be more timely. It provides a clear, lucid and scholarly guide to Shariah which should shatter the ignorant myths that surround it with an aura of evil. If we wish to win hearts and minds it is essential that we learn what is actually in them and not rely on what we imagine
might be there. This eminently accessible introduction will help people to do just that." --Karen Armstrong, author of Islam: A Short History

"The authors balance a big-picture perspective of the origins and place of sharia in Muslim societies ... Some of the best sections discuss the similarities and differences among the five major Islamic legal schools of interpretation, a look into contemporary polling data on Muslim opinions, and a
broad review of how injunctions from scripture and tradition have been applied or misapplied around the world." -- Publishers Weekly

"This volume offers a much needed discussion of hotly debated issues such as the status of women, gender issues, family life, freedom, human rights, war, jihad, peace, criminal law, and justice in light of shar�'ah ... Though it is purposefully written for the awareness of the general public, it is
still recommended for students, political analysts, policy makers, and religious leaders in the West as well as elsewhere in the world." -- Reading Religion, American Academy of Religion

"An excellent introductory discussion of Shariah ... Like other books in Oxford's What Everyone Needs to Know series, the question-answer format makes this work easy to reference and focuses the user's reading." -- Booklist