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What is Sharia?
Sharia law is Islam’s legal system. It is derived from both the Koran, as the word of God, the example of the life of the prophet Muhammad, and fatwas - the rulings of Islamic scholars.
But Sharia differs in one very important and significant way to the legal traditions of the Western world: it governs, or at least informs, every aspect of the life of a Muslim.

What does it cover?

Western law confines itself largely to matters relating to crime, contract, civil relationships and individual rights.

Sharia is however concerned with more. Sharia rulings have been developed to help Muslims understand how they should lead every aspect of their lives according to God’s wishes.

What does this mean in practice?

All sorts of things in daily life. For example, many young Muslims ask themselves what they should do if colleagues invite them to the pub after work or college.

Many people would of course make up their own mind about the appropriate course of action. But others may turn to a Sharia scholar for advice.

So Sharia covers a lot of very mundane and banal daily issues where observant Muslims want to ensure they act within the legal framework of their faith.

So how are rulings made?

Like any legal system, Sharia is complex and its practice is entirely reliant on the quality and training of experts.

There are different schools of thought, which consequently lead to different rulings.

Scholars spend decades studying the law and, like with Western law, an expert on one aspect of Sharia is no means the authority on another.

Islamic jurists issue guidance and rulings. Guidance that is considered a formal legal ruling is called a Fatwa.

Do people go to court?

Sharia courts exist in both the Muslim world and in the Western world.

In parts of the Muslim world the criminal courts and their punishments are of course drawn from the rules of Sharia.

In the West, Muslim communities have established Sharia courts to largely deal with family or business disputes.

The internet has become a popular way of seeking a ruling with scholars. Some of the guidance to Muslims in the west which has been considered most outlandish has come from these sources, particularly where the scholar has no knowledge of the realities of western life.

Why is Sharia mentioned in the same breath as public executions?

Of all the issues around Islamic law, this remains the most controversial in Western eyes - and its presentation the most infuriating for Muslims.

Muslims say the Western world misrepresents Sharia by focusing on beheadings in Saudi Arabia and other gruesome punishments. The equivalent, they say, would be a debate about the history of Western law focused on America’s electric chair.

Some modern Muslim scholars say that while Sharia includes provisions for capital and corporal punishment, getting to that stage is in fact quite difficult.

The most famous Muslim thinker in Europe, Tariq Ramadan, has called for a moratorium on these penalties in the Muslim world.

He argues that the conditions under which such penalties would be legal are almost impossible to re-establish in today’s world.

But Muslims can be executed for converting?

Apostasy, or leaving the faith, is a very controversial issue in the Muslim world and the majority of scholars believe it is punishable by death.

But a minority of Muslim thinkers, particularly those engaged with Western societies, argue that the reality of the modern world means the “punishment” should be left to God - and that Islam itself is not threatened by apostasy.

The Koran itself declares there is “no compulsion” in religion.

Egypt’s most senior cleric has faced a storm in the Middle East after floating some of these ideas but the debate may well continue for many generations to come.

So what kind of Sharia are we talking about in the UK?

The key issues are family law, finance and business. In practice many Muslims do turn to Sharia guidance for many of these day-to-day matters, particularly family disputes.

And how does this work in practice?

Muslims are increasingly looking to the example of Jewish communities which have long-established religious community courts.

These “courts” are legally recognised in English law as a means for warring parties to agree to arbitration. The law sees this as a practical way of helping people to resolve their differences in their own way, without clogging up the local courts.

But what about incorporating Sharia into British law?

In two important areas British law has incorporated religious legal considerations. British food regulations allow meat to be slaughtered according to Jewish and Islamic practices - a touchstone issue for both communities.

Secondly, the Treasury has approved Sharia-compliant financial products such as mortgages and investments. Islam forbids interest on the basis that it is money unjustly earned. These products are said by supporters to meet the needs of modern life in a way that fits the faith.

Has any western nation allowed Sharia to be used in full?

Not at all. Canada is widely reported to have come close - leading to protests in 2005.

But in reality the proposals were little different to the existing religious arbitration rules here in the UK.

Experts considered establishing Sharia-related family courts to ease the burden on civil courts - but said these would have to observe the basic human rights guarantees of Canadian law.

What about Sharia and women?

Some Muslim women in Britain are concerned about how their rights are protected. Take marriage for example.

Muslims only consider themselves truly married once they have conducted the Islamic ceremony, known as the nikah. In some cases, this means that there is a cultural view that the British civil ceremony, which enforces legal rights under the law, is not important.

Some mosques are alive to this issue and now demand to see a marriage certificate as a condition of the nikah. Others do not. Many women want Muslim leaders to do more to ensure their rights are protected under British law.

Does Sharia allow men to instantly divorce wives?

There is an idea that men merely have to say the Arabic for divorce three times (known as the triple talaq) and that is sufficient - and there are some men who think they have this right.

In practice, not only do texts show Muhammad disagreed but today, where Sharia courts are properly run, the words are merely a symbolic part of a rigorous process.

Marriage is a contract in Islam. Scholars expect three-month cooling-off periods, dialogue, arbitration and counselling. However, Talaq is a very complicated area of Sharia law with conflicting views - see internet links for one example.

So women have reservations about Sharia?

Some Muslim women in the West would be worried about protection of their rights in Sharia courts where there is discrimination against them because of patriarchal and cultural control in their communities.

This does not mean that they are necessarily opposed to Sharia - only there are live concerns about the fairness of its application.

It’s fair to say that many leading Muslim women are more concerned about how existing British equality measures and human rights laws can be used to improve their position and voice in society.

By Dominic Casciani
BBC News home affairs reporter (link)

What can be said about a man who has been called many things? He is known as a role model to Muslims. A religious fanatic. A father for black power. A menace to society. An inspirational leader and a legend.

Malcolm X was born in America in 1925, during a time when race relationships were strained. His mother was a housewife and his father was a Baptist Minister who was killed in a fire at a young age(Read More and comment)

You pull up to a red light beside a car full of rude-boy wannabes blasting one of the latest RnB/hip-hop/rap tunes, and before the light turns green, you’ve heard of four different sex acts, someone’s mum cussed, you’re told to get high on drugs and encouraged to beat up the “ho that steps outta line”.

Over on MTV base there are women bumping and grinding, wearing tiny thongs, dancing for men and shaking all they’ve got – usually to lyrics that refer to them as “b***, ho’s or sluts”. (Read More and comment)

He was born in Tehran but grew up in London in a family of musicians and started composing music at a very young age. He later studied classical oriental music in London, alongside renowned composers and musicians including composers from the Royal Academy of Music in London, which is one of the world’s most prestigious music institutions. He has also studied Islam and Arabic from Al-Azhar University in Egypt and is able to sing in Urdu, Arabic, English, Turkish and Persian. (Read More and comment)

Jamal goes to visit Ali in prison�

Ali: Jamaaaal!!! Holy cow!!! Is that really you?

Jamal: Salaam Ali. Yep it’s me bro� and I ain�t no cow.

Ali: I can�t believe you’s come all the way from Egypt to see me! Raas man! You’re not a dodgy Mullah after all!

Jamal: No, not as dodgy as you bro� hahahaha.

Ali: Yo I ain’t dodgy aiight, I�ve got style! So how are ya man� you all pimped up and that? you been strutting your stuff on the Taliban catwalks!

Jamal: I’m good, Alhamdulillah, I�ve had a wicked time, met some really good people. But what about you, how are things bro?

Ali: Life is friggin’ beautiful! What do you think it�s like man?! Food here tastes like leftover kebabs. I’m locked up with some crackpots. (Read More and comment)

Nasheeds have been around ever since the time of the Holy Prophet (saw), yes that is 1400 years ago! In total there were 45 Munshideen (Nasheed artists) at the time of the Holy Prophet (saw) with Hassan ibn Thabit (ra) being the favourite. (Read More…)

“The media” eh? God bless it. It’s normally a popular subject at the sheesha joints. We can blame it for all the ills of the world.

We’d love to have a good old bash, but someone realised that we, “The Revival”, are part of the media too. The magazine. The website. The interviews. It’s all a part of the media. So we toned it all down and decided to concentrate on other media outlets.

The media has a strong influence on public opinion. It provides not only information but ways of looking at the world. It informs and influences. Issues about Muslims are very often shaped by the media. (Read More and comment)

We will all have moments in our life when we feel a bit down, miserable or in a bit of a mood. It is natural to feel some sort of sadness when we experience disappointments in our everyday life. However, The World Health Organisation estimates that 121 million people worldwide are suffering from �Depression� � the illness.[1]

The difference between feeling a little low and suffering from a depressive illness is that these low feelings can last for weeks or months and seriously interfere with a persons life. There are different types of depressive illnesses; depression in its mildest form can make everything seem a struggle or pointless, but depression in its most severe form can be life-threatening as it can make a person simply give up the will to live.

Contrary to popular belief, a person suffering from depression can�t just �snap out of it� or �pull themselves together�. It is important to understand that depression isn�t just a state of mind � it is clear that there are definite changes in the way the brain works when a person is depressed. (Read More…)

I was co-presenting a late night discussion show on my local Radio in the month of Ramadan this year, which I have been doing for quite a few years now. The topic was marriage, which is one of the most popular shows every year� I dunno why! However, every year, a small section of the listeners remind me of one massive ignorance and fault our Muslims communities have across the UK.

It�s the fear and ignorance of discussing issues which make us uncomfortable even though we know they are real, they exist and they affect all of us! But we moan and fuss and complain that certain issues should not be discussed, highlighted and talked about openly.

In this case, listeners were embarrassed and disgusted that Muslims were openly discussing marriage and sexual matters on the radio after midnight in the presence of a qualified scholar. Shock! Horror! (Read more and comment)