Shariah
In Pakistan, religious right criticizes women’s protection law
By Aysha Khan — March 1, 2016
(RNS) A new law aims to protect women in Pakistan, but religious hard-liners say it will lead to divorce.
Travelblog: The truth about Shariah
By Kevin Eckstrom — September 10, 2014
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (RNS) The reality is that the imposition of Shariah law in this corner of the world's most populous Muslim nation was a cynical political ploy -- and it worked.
After kidnapping schoolgirls, Boko Haram takes aim at churches in northeast Nigeria
By Fredrick Nzwili — September 2, 2014
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Boko Haram, which church leaders and analysts view as an African variation of the Islamic State, is taking over churches in northeastern Nigeria, beheading men and forcing Christian women to convert to Islam.
COMMENTARY: What Jordan can teach the Muslim world in welcoming Pope Francis
By Dale Hanson Bourke — May 19, 2014
AMMAN, Jordan (RNS) By coming to Jordan, Pope Francis will shine a light on this Islamic state with a protected Christian minority and perhaps encourage other Muslim countries to follow Jordan’s model.
COMMENTARY: Anti-Muslim bigotry taints Florida ban on foreign laws
By Amos Toh — May 16, 2014
(RNS) Although Florida’s foreign law ban bucks the trend of overexpansive bans in other states, the motivation to pass such a law is rooted in the same xenophobic sentiment.
Indonesian woman gang-raped, faces caning for adultery
By Michael Winter — May 8, 2014
(RNS) Islamic religious police in Indonesia plan to publicly flog a 25-year-old widow and a married man for adultery after vigilantes gang-raped her as punishment for having extramarital sex, according to media reports.
Seeking greater equality, Indian women turn to unexpected source: Shariah courts
By Heather McIlvaine — May 6, 2014
MUMBAI, India (RNS) A group of Muslim women in India thinks the path to gender equality lies in the very thing that has been used to oppress them: Shariah. It’s not as much of a paradox as it seems.
COMMENTARY: The clear anti-Muslim bias behind anti-Shariah laws
By Faiza Patel — February 21, 2014
NEW YORK (RNS) It's hard to believe that supporters of bans on foreign law are genuinely concerned about the purported ills of foreign law when they are so ready to make concessions. Instead, "foreign law" provides a convenient fig leaf for supporters to stir up misconceptions and fear about Muslims.
Christians in Libya cast anxious eye at religious freedom
By Fredrick Nzwili — January 10, 2014
(RNS) Church leaders in Libya remain hopeful that Christians in the mostly Muslim country will be allowed to practice their faith, even as the country appears to move towards Shariah law.
Muslim majorities open to democracy, but cautious
By Omar Sacirbey — January 9, 2014
(RNS) Large majorities of people in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Tunisia and Turkey said their country would be better off if religion and government were separated.
COMMENTARY: Muslim superhero Kamala Khan is no match for real-life Islamophobia
By Faiza Patel — November 22, 2013
NEW YORK (RNS) Kamala Khan may make a few people think that Muslims can be heroes as well as villains, but vanquishing anti-Muslim prejudice will take a more sustained and energetic effort by Khan’s human counterparts.
Brunei to implement Shariah penal code, including stoning, caning
By Richard S. Ehrlich — October 22, 2013
(RNS) The sultan of Brunei announced on Tuesday (Oct. 22) he will rule according to Shariah laws, including death by stoning for adultery, the amputation of limbs for theft, flogging for alcohol consumption and abortion, and other punishments.
Oklahoma anti-Shariah amendment struck down
By Omar Sacirbey — August 16, 2013
(RNS) A federal judge has struck down Oklahoma's constitutional amendment that would have prohibited judges in the state from considering Shariah law.
NC Muslims hope Gov. Pat McCrory vetoes anti-Shariah bill
By Omar Sacirbey — July 26, 2013
(RNS) If Gov. Pat McCrory signs the bill, North Carolina would become the seventh state to have an anti-Shariah law, joining Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. In May, Alabama lawmakers approved a like-minded constitutional amendment that state voters will consider in 2014.
Shariah 101: What is it and why do states want to ban it?
By Omar Sacirbey — July 25, 2013
(RNS) Muslims around the world have varying views about what Shariah entails, and its role in personal and public life. So what exactly is Shariah? Here are five facts that might help make sense of this complex and often misunderstood term.
