Demystifying Shariah: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It's Not Taking Over Our Country

by Sumbul Ali-Karamali

A direct counterpoint to fear mongering headlines about shariah law--a Muslim American legal expert tells the real story, eliminating stereotypes and assumptions with compassion, irony, and humor.

Through scare tactics and deliberate misinformation campaigns, anti-Muslim propagandists insist wrongly that shariah is a draconian and oppressive Islamic law that all Muslims must abide by. They circulate horror stories, encouraging Americans to fear the "takeover of shariah" law in America and even mounting "anti-shariah protests" . . . . with zero evidence that shariah has taken over any part of our country. (That's because it hasn't.) It would be almost funny if it weren't so terrifyingly wrong--as puzzling as if Americans suddenly began protesting the Martian occupation of Earth.

Demystifying Shariah explains that shariah is not one set of punitive rules or even law the way we think of law--rigid and enforceable--but religious rules and recommendations that provide Muslims with guidance in various aspects of life. Sumbul Ali-Karamali draws on scholarship and her degree in Islamic law to explain shariah in an accessible, engaging narrative style--its various meanings, how it developed, and how the shariah-based legal system operated for over a thousand years. She explains what shariah means not only in the abstract but in the daily lives of Muslims. She discusses modern calls for shariah, what they mean, and whether shariah is the law of the land anywhere in the world. She also describes the key lies and misunderstandings about shariah circulating in our public discourse, and why so many of them are nonsensical.

This engaging guide is intended to introduce you to the basic principles, goals, and general development of shariah and to answer questions like: How do Muslims engage with shariah? What does shariah have to do with our Constitution? What does shariah have to do with the way the world looks like today? And why do we all--Muslims or not--need to care?

Genres: Islam, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

Published May 12, 2020

Reviews

[Roger DeBlanck · Rating 5 out of 5]

With compassion and expertise, Sumbul Ali-Karamali’s enlightening book offers valuable clarity to the truth about shariah’s purpose in guiding people towards spiritual and religious fulfillment. Her comprehensive research also goes beyond exploring the historical development of shariah to voicing her activism in confronting the rampant Islamophobia that fuels its basis in fears, falsehoods, misinformation, ignorance, and intolerance.

Ali-Karamali explains how the literal meaning of shariah in Arabic is “the path to the watering place.” In regards to how people seek to fulfill their spiritual and religious thirsts, it means staying on “the path God wants us to follow.” In this way, shariah means God’s eternal law for how to find a path so that an individual can achieve goodness and righteousness. Shariah, therefore, is the way God wants us to live, and that way can be achieved through modeling one’s life after Muhammad who shared God’s final Word, which constitutes the divine message that is set down in the surahs of the Qur’an. In addition to reciting the Qur’an to humankind, Muhammad made his own life an exemplary model of conduct through his righteous words and deeds, the Sunna, which have been preserved in written form as hadith.

Understanding the Qur’an required interpretation and analysis called fiqh. Gaining the deep understandings of the Qur’an through fiqh enabled scholars to develop flexible rules over time and depending on circumstances. Fiqh interpretations can never be construed as law because the effort of fiqh is to connect with the way of God, which is eternal, and yet with the passing of time, fiqh is necessary to account for changes in the way we live and seek to engage with God. In totality, therefore, shariah equals the constant work to understand and live by the Qur’an and the Sunna through the efforts of fiqh. This sum total of relying on the Qur’an, the Sunna, and fiqh constitutes Islamic jurisprudence as a way of utilizing Islamic texts to establish rules and practices that amount to the Islamic legal tradition. Ali-Karamali reminds us that Islamic law is not rigid, statutory, or enforceable law, but rather religious rules and guidelines offering a path or way to God. Together, shariah, the Qur’an, and the Sunna make up the divine aspects of Islam, while fiqh is manmade and is used to assist with understanding Islam’s divinity. Ali-Karamali assesses how asking Muslims to give up shariah would be like requesting Christians to abandon Jesus.

She further explains how the purpose of both shariah and the Islamic legal tradition are to serve society in order to reduce harm and to increase benefits. The goals of shariah seek to protect life, religion, property, family, intellect, and human dignity. In many ways, these principles reflect those of the U.S. Constitution. When making shariah decisions, the scholars and muftis, many of whom were women, sought to achieve a verdict that allowed for a peaceful outcome or amicable settlement and also a decision that emphasized forgiveness. Final decisions of scholars and muftis are called fatwas, but Ali-Karamali makes clear that fatwas are not laws or divine orders because only God has ultimate decision-making authority. Fatwas are reasonable, yet nonbinding, legal opinions made by muftis who must refrain from the influence of politics or vengeance.

Ali-Karamali shows how the shariah-based legal system greatly influenced English and American common law because both rely on case-law handled by judges, both assume innocence until proven guilty, both offer the right not to self-incriminate, both lend no credence to hearsay, and both implement the right to a fair trial. Ali-Karamali makes clear that shariah condemns groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS as “criminal mass murderers.” They violate the Islamic teachings that forbid aggression and terrorism. She points out how ISIS does not reflect Islam any more than the KKK represents Christianity. Muslim terrorists cite political grievances, not religion, as their motives, and their followers know little or nothing about Islam. Those who join often have broken personal lives of joblessness, and their anger and outrage comes from injustice against Muslims.

Ali-Karamali chronicles how colonization did great harm to shariah by destroying the Islamic educational system of madrasas (schools) and waqfs (endowments). Colonists saw shariah as too soft, too compromising, too lenient, and too flexible. They saw shariah as unenforceable law—even though Muslims never intended for shariah to be enforceable—and so the colonists worked to institute laws and statutes that could be fixed and codified in order to eliminate the multitude of varying opinions that fiqh offered. Colonialism also took away the rights that Muslim women had with property ownership and their option to pursue divorce. Ali-Karamali says, “By sidelining Islam and rejecting it as a mainstream democratic concept, postcolonial states left shariah in the hands of extremists.”

As an American citizen, she says that the secular democracy of her country is “a perfectly valid Islamic state” because the United States allows freedom of religious practice, just like the teachings of Islam recognize religious freedom. Therefore, democracy and Islam have always coincided because the first Muslim community in Medina under Muhammad’s leadership offered a society based on freedom of worship, equality among races, and justice and protection for all citizens. Throughout history, Islam has fostered multiracial and multireligious communities and empires because the Qur’an recognizes God’s love of all Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others who do good deeds, and Muhammad established legal covenants and treaties with Jews, Christians, and others.

Contrary to the principles of justice that the Qur’an teaches and the compassion that Muhammad taught, groups like ISIS, al Shabab, and the Taliban disregard shariah and resort to crimes against humanity. Ali-Karamali expresses her concerns when she says, “Shariah aimed to limit violence and harsh punishments; to see shariah now used to accomplish the opposite makes me heartsick.” Another disheartening consequence of these violent groups has been with how Americans and Europeans have become prone to blaming Islam and Muslims any time an extremist or radical commits a crime, but when an act of terror occurs at the hands of a White man in a Christian country, his crime is dismissed as an isolated case of derangement.

Throughout her book, Ali-Karamali discusses the truth about Islam’s great receptiveness of women. Take these facts: Muslim-majority countries have more women serving in leadership roles than any Western country, and Muslim-majority countries have women holding countless elected high-level positions, offices, and heads of state. She reminds us how cultures everywhere have mistreated women, but in areas predominantly Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu no attention is given to the oppression women suffer. And how about this fact: There are 18 Muslim-majority countries that have more women in their legislatures than the U.S. has in ours.

Ali-Karamali makes clear that shariah does not dictate the law of any country in the world. To the contrary, in America shariah helps guide the lives of Muslims the same way religious rules bring purpose and meaning to the followers of any faith. In addition, shariah requires that Muslims follow the laws of the country they live in, no matter if it is predominately an “Islamic” country or not. Sadly, here in America, states have passed anti-shariah laws without any knowledge of its true meaning as a personal quest for spiritual truth. How can one’s personal choice of how to pray be declared a felony? Ali-Karamali says, “Learning what people believe is just part of learning about history and humanity.”

Ali-Karamali confronts Islamophobia by showing how it is rooted in our tendency to believe as truth any story that proves our fears to be real. The West, unfortunately, relies on a long, fabricated history of distrusting Islam and Muslims. Islamophobes defend their positions by bringing up examples and threats from extremists, but they refuse to acknowledge violence from other terror groups comprised of White men who claim Christian allegiance or groups like the Buddhist terrorists in Myanmar.

Ali-Karamali reminds us of the fact that homicide rates are much lower and rarer in Muslim communities than in non-Muslim societies. From 1970 to 2012 only 2.5% of terrorist attacks on U.S. soil were carried out by Muslims. Deaths in the 20th Century from war and political violence reveal that Christians of European heritage have killed 102 million compared to 2 million by people of Islamic heritage. Moreover, the rampant crime and violence throughout Latin American is not viewed as Christian violence. Furthermore, she makes the point that we would declare unthinkable the idea of taking advice from Neo-Nazis about Jews, so why do we allow anti-Muslim propagandists to tell us how to think about Muslims.

Demystifying Shariah is a vitally important book that can empower both Muslims and non-Muslims with the facts and truth about shariah. Reading her work gives us the opportunity to gain the knowledge necessary to open our hearts and expand our minds so that we can all become better individuals in our personal lives and better citizens within our diverse world.

[Scott Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author Ali-Karamali is the daughter of immigrants from India, a Stanford graduate, a corporate lawyer in America, and is trained Islamic Law. A patriotic American, she seeks to describe why modern Islam, in the main, is not a threat to American values. She attempts, and for the most part succeeds, to present Islamic (shariah) law as a peaceful force for universal social justice in world history.

Obviously, this is a politically laden topic in conversation with contemporary affairs. She directly addresses those towards the end of the book. However, in most of this writing, she simply attempts to educate us as to how Islamic practice works and has worked for over 1,400 years. She attempts to undercut many common antagonistic viewpoints against Muslims, but does not seek to convert readers. Rather, her goal is education, and her tone is much like an academic religion class in a secular American classroom.

Although she largely sidesteps Islam’s early militant days by correctly observing that the Christian West was likewise militant, she especially focuses upon the golden age of Islam (1000-1600 CE) before European colonization. Although she explicitly tries not to over-glorify the past, she tends to exalt this period as a model of Islam’s virtues. Islam’s problems, she admits, stem from engagement with modern Western culture, especially in the form of colonization. She portrays that colonization stripped the dignity, wealth, and well-being of those people who were colonized. The post-colonial (post-World War) environment has been admittedly unstable, and Islamic culture has not recovered from Western colonization. That is why the West and Islam continue today to work at cross-purposes.

Potential readers need to be open to non-Western views, but the potential audience consists of anyone interested in current affairs, world peace, and universal happiness – a wide swath of people! This work is not directed towards Muslims but especially towards American Christians and Jews, with whom Ali-Karamali shares American citizenship and patriotism. European affairs are addressed as well, but only at an angle; the main intended audience is Americans.

I am a white Protestant Christian American male. I am motivated towards learning about those who are around me in an attempt to “love my neighbor,” as the Torah and Jesus put it. I found this book to be challenging in that it stretched me, in a good way, to understand and trust how people view me. Inter-religious dialogue is always a challenge because people who are different can seem so, well, “other.” Nonetheless, it’s a necessary chore (if not sometimes a pleasure) in today’s world. Kudos to Al-Karamali for attempting to enlighten us!

[Thomas Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I’ll say: It’s easier to think we know a thing, even when we haven’t actually investigated it. It’s easier to default to what we’ve always heard without any critical reflection. But ultimately, this ease comes at a cost in ways that we can’t even begin to calculate. Perhaps being insulated from the cost of our mutual misunderstanding could be construed as an object lesson in ignorance being the same as bliss; but then, to paraphrase a certain Greek philosopher, the only evil we need worry about is ignorance, both of others and ourselves. And what’s to combat this? The sole unqualified good in the world: that is, knowledge. I won’t go so far as to say that just reading this one book will clear away all the cobwebs on this rather complex topic of Islamic law. I suspect a study of halakha (Jewish rabbinic law) would be no less complicated regarding its methodologies and history. This book, I think, is a good first step in starting to clarify, for, at the very least, one’s own edification, the religious guidelines—as well as the principle aims of their formulation, in the past and up to the present—at the heart of Islam. Whatever our own beliefs, it seems to me that the consequences of any potential misunderstanding increase in severity in proportion to the world’s interconnectedness, so much so that none of us can afford to be illiterate on matters of religion and culture, not to mention every other crisis impacting the human family.

[Sabeeha Rehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author tackles a sensitive subject with sensitivity. An attorney and scholar of Islamic studies, her research is exhaustive. Yet, she maintains alight touch which makes this heavy subject an easy read. Easy as in easy to grasp. She untangles a tangled web spun over and over again for centuries. I loved the book.

[Aziza Mehmoudzai · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Decent introduction to sharia and Islamic Legal
Traditions. Growing up in a western country with the privileges it affords—I found the author was an apologist for many issues that arise in Muslim majority nations and community. Ex. Author brushed off the issue of honor killings. Not Islamic but definitely practiced by many Muslims. To say honor killings and what western law
labels “crimes of passion” as the same is a false equivalency.

[#moluminary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished once but loved it and realised it'll take another attempt to understand it better, therefore rereading again. Recommended reading to the ignorant, curious, bigot and genuine knowledge-seeker alike. Being a believer is optional but being open-minded and willing to learn is a must to enjoy the book and be enlightened.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note: I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways.)

It’s weird that someone would even need to write a book about why shariah isn’t going to take over America; there’s little demand for that even among Muslims, and even if there were, they’re a small minority with few voices in the halls of power. But that idea has taken root among some of the population.

The author is an American Muslim with a degree in Islamic law (which is not synonymous with shariah), and the book is aimed at readers with little knowledge of Islam beyond media scare stories. In order to explain shariah, she basically presents a quick primer on the basics of Islam and its history; how shariah functioned in most Islamic societies for hundreds of years; how those societies were broken by European colonialism, to the point where the traditional forms of shariah disappeared and aren’t likely to come back; and what the term means today.

Those are incredibly wide topics to try to cover in a book barely over 200 pages, especially considering how complicated it is simply to define “shariah” (I’ll come to that in a moment); so she has to make a great many broad generalizations, passing over nuances such as variations in how shariah was practiced from region to region across the Muslim world. That shouldn’t be regarded as a defect in the book; but readers with some degree of knowledge about Islam can find much to nitpick. If you’re such a reader, this book isn’t meant for you.

Are you part of the book’s intended audience? Read this quote from the book:

”If I lived in a Muslim-majority country and were asked if I wanted shariah to be a source of legislation in my country, my answer would depend on how I conceived of shariah. If I thought of shariah as the Maqasid al-Shariah (giving me the right to life, family, religion, intellect, human dignity, and resources), then I would say yes. Who wouldn’t want those rights?

But if I thought of shariah as the whole system of Islamic law, which includes the divine sources and fiqh, then I would say no. I wouldn’t want someone in government interpreting fiqh for me and imposing it through the law. Why? First, fiqh was meant to be flexible and adaptable, not fixed in a code...”

If you have some idea what she means by all that, don’t bother reading this book. It’s not for you and you’ll learn little from it. If it baffles you- or, worse, if it goes directly against what you would expect a Muslim to say- then a book like this would go a long way to enhance your understanding.

[Sean S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling and well reasoned argument for why Islam and sharia offered better legal options and rights for people through the 18th century.

Where things fall apart is the justification and contrasting done to paint cultural attitudes and mores of people in Muslim majority areas to the United States. Sure, sharia was advanced for its time, but there is a big difference between ideal case scenario vs actual case implementation. The definite Wahhabi style of Islam we see right now is excessively rigid compared to the secular approach of the united states. The claims of ISIS and other radicals to Islam are still real issues. The author can apologize for their existence but it does not change the fact of the matter. Contrasting to the US, despite its current shortcomings, there is no comparison in terms of legality and freedom for most.

Some thoughts about why it would not work in the current global geopolitical environment:
* emphasis on amicable resolution leads to inconsistent application of fiqh and punishment
* numerous parts are outdated, especially punishment and restrictions
* it is still entangled with religion, a religion free criminal justice system and govt is still best
* in the rapid social media age, the flood of available information and compare/contrast to other law systems leads to heightened criticism
* the countries themselves are not in proper position to succeed with such policy

This book enlightened me to another religious system vs Christianity, but in the end, it made me realize that all religions are flawed in their own way and should not be encouraged, required, or enforced.

[Jaylani Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love how she was able to put it in layman's terms and make it easy to understand for both Muslims and non-Muslims. Also, I like how she was able to talk about the Islamophobia industry in the US and Europe. However, She needs to tackle more on orientalism and colonialism role in depicting Islam and Muslims in Western perspective.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read in order to combat misinformation and bigotry. Much of the conversation on the internet about "Shariah" law and Muslim beliefs is incorrect. Sometimes it is purposefully wrong in order to encourage "Islamaphobia" or more correctly "anti-Muslim racism". Much of the Shariah panic was started by a group that *purposefully* spread lies to create hatred towards Muslims. One of the main people that contributed to this spread of misinformation is David Yerushalmi who admits to "deliberately fomenting the shariah scare.", is a part of a group referred to as the "Islamaphobia industry" in the book. An organization who "aims to incite fear of Islam and Muslims by disseminating disinformation into the public discourse through media and politicians". Meaning that just like "fake news" it was spread and people didn't bother to fact check so much so that many consider it true when it is not.

This book discusses the origins of the religious law going back 1,400 years to a time when Muslim women had more rights than European women. Strict separation of religion and government. Shariah law states that Muslims must obey the laws of the country they reside in and that they should not force conversion to the religion. It's broken down and explained in such a way that makes it easy to follow and I find it rather shocking how much it differs from the Western interpretation.

It also discusses how colonization by European/Western countries altered the culture and perception of the religion in some areas. How just like other religions such as a Christianity the religion can vary depending on the region it is practiced. For example, Saudi Arabia's brand of Islam is considered more extreme. One that might have died out if it were not that it was supported by outside influences namely America under the direction of President Eisenhower. Another example, many of the laws removing rights from women in Muslim countries were actually copied from *Eureopean* or *Western* countries NOT Shariah law. The colonization to change Muslim countries to western beliefs sounds a lot like what they tried to do to eradicate the Native American culture.

The author is honest and makes a point when she says ALL religions have people that pervert their religion in order to gain power and control over people. She refers to ISIS and Al Queda as "murderous criminals" not just as a personal opinion but according to Shariah law as well. The *only* time violence is accepted is in self-defense as in this excerpt from the book.

"The Qur'an authorizes Muslims to defend churches and synagogues, states clearly that Muslims should not be even discourteous to people of other faiths, forbids, forced conversion, and tells us that God made us into different races and tribes so that can learn from one another. This is shariah, in all these words."

I strongly recommend everyone that *thinks* they know what it means to be Muslim or what Shariah law is to read this book. I guarantee that you will be surprised and it will be an eye-opening experience. One that could very well create peace because it would decrease misunderstandings that lead to suffering and conflict.

(Note: I highly recommend the ebook as it has footnote links that sometimes contains weblinks to online articles in case you wish to read the research material she used yourself.)

[Cyndi Beane-Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written book. Definitely worth a read. While the author touts Shariah Law to be fair, and safe for those involved, the Internet explodes with the deaths of many individuals because of it. The author is correct that there are no cases of deaths involved in the US. Perhaps that is because the US Courts have banned Shariah Law within its' borders. So, her saying there are no cases here in the US, it must be compared to the fact that the US lawmakers have been on top of preventing such from happening. With the fines for Shariah Law being low monetary, to death, depending upon the individual circumstance.

The book definitely makes a case, and a good one at that. for US citizens to relax a bit, with the understanding that Shariah Law is not attempting to recruit Americans, nor lure Americans into their fold. They are not attempting to take over US law. While I try very hard to believe the author, I cannot agree with him/her. I just have great reservations, and even this well written book does not convince me. That being said, I encourage you to read the book, and make up your own minds regarding this matter. Do you believe that Shariah Law is aiming to take over the US , or not? I leave it all up to you.

I give this book



FIVE STARS
and a BIG...




...THUMBS UP!

And I highly recommend the book for ages 15 and above.

[Hoolia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great book about the origins of Islamic legal thought that confronts the Islamophobia industrial complex that has ballooned in the west over the past two decades. The author not only deconstructs the sheer lack of logic behind anti-Islam propaganda, but also misconceptions around Islamic history, theology, and legal tradition. Really fascinating to learn about the system. The author is an American lawyer and so can directly confront the particular American strain of Islamophobia behind "anti-Shariah" (read: anti-Muslim) campaigns that have gained traction on both the local and national level, and can directly relate Islamic legal tradition to the American Constitution. Similar to How to Read the Constitution--and Why and equally as valuable in its exploration of the legal threats to American citizens that masquerade as evangelical Christian "religious freedom" campaigns.

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought shariah was some fundamentalist ritual from a thousand years ago so reading this book was truly enlightening. Shariah was created by scholars analyzing the Islamic holy works, keeping them relevant to the current age. It was not governmental but has always been progressive, humane, and fair to all. The author explains the negative effects of colonialism with conquering powers nullifying shariah rules as too lenient. No government today uses shariah law despite what they may say for political purposes. The book is beautifully written making it possible in a short time to gain real insight in place of slogans and uninformed opinions.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wasn't a perfect book by any means, but it's getting 5 stars because it engaged me to the point that I have been talking about what I learned from it with everyone I know for a couple of weeks now. The tone can be a bit defensive throughout (i.e "yeah Muslims did that but don't think Christians aren't doing it too!") but that defensiveness is totally justified considering the complete lack of information on Islamic law in the USA. I think everyone could benefit from this book, considering that Muslims make up a large portion of the world's population and understanding these aspects of Islam is important to lessening Islamophobia and xenophobia.

[Peter Z.]

The title of this book assumes facts not in evidence. You can't prove a negative, let alone a qualitative negative.

Moreover, how could one accept anything in the book given the Muslim concept of "taqiyya"? Many Muslims believe they are permitted by their faith to lie if it will advance the cause of their religion.

How should a reader even judge, in sum, whether this book is fair and unbiased, or a mere whitewash designed to further an expansionist agenda?

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.
Nice to read a book from an American Muslim that explains from her perspective. Though I never believed the anti-muslim BS it is good to now have facts in hand when I have a debate with someone who is misinformed.

[Steven Ridgely]

Good story.

[Kristyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this absolutely brilliant, informative, and compelling. I knew NOTHING of Shariah and I'm so glad I found this book.

ALL high school and college students should read this book.

[strôbeari · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5

[Goth Gone Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

So if you listen to the right (here meaning wrong) sources, Shariah Law will be taking over the good ol' US of A and making all of us do awful, dreadful, terrible Muslim things. Let's check the book for what those things are, shall we?

"The Qur'an authorizes Muslims to defend churches and synagogues, states clearly that Muslims should not be discourteous to people of other faiths, forbids forced conversion, and tells us that God made us into different races and tribes so that we can learn from one another. This is shariah, in all these words."

Awful, right?

What I find awful is that the people quickest to perpetuate the violent, disrespectful Muslim stereotypes are the last ones who would actually source their facts, and thus the least likely to research with a book like this one.

Every point of view has a slant or purpose of their own, granted, yet the author balances personal experience with historical data to present a data-heavy, yet very understandable read. It shows examples of similarities with other religions and historical perspectives from multiple countries and eras.

I've read other books from a Muslim perspective, and find many similarities in belief. Peace, concern for others, and fairness? How unique, how novel, how beautifully Muslim. Perhaps Shariah Law taking over wouldn't be all the evil that it's portrayed to be by the naysayers.

I was given a copy of the book for review purposes.