Shariah, or Islamic law, explained; bill prohibiting it in Idaho courts to be amended
A bill prohibiting Shariah, or Islamic law, from influencing Idaho courts advanced to the state House floor.
The legislation would keep Idaho courts and government agencies from basing rulings on foreign laws. It doesn’t specifically mention the strict interpretation of Islamic law, called Shariah. However,Republican representatives say that was a major concern in drafting the legislation.
ABrigham Young University Islamic studies professor and an ISU professor who practices Islam said there are a lot of misconceptions about the law.
Shariah is a Arabic word that literally means a path to be followed. The term is broad, encompassing both a personal moral code and religious law.
“It’s part of Islamic practice. It means that the law is mandating how we dress, mandating what we eat, mandating how we pray, mandating how we take showers. The law is very pervasive. It’s not just what people usually imagine when they think about Shariah. They think about ‘Hudud’ which is the capital punishment in Islam. If they think Shariah law is going to be passed in Idaho and suddenly we’re going to have public executions for adultery and all that stuff which you can find in the old testament of the Bible as well then they’re really crazy. I don’t think that will ever happen. I mean first off the First Amendment of the Constitution clearly states that there is no establishment of religion, so it just won’t work. I don’t know what the fear of Shariah is in the United States but I think it’s a smoke screen for Islamic-phobic sentiments,” said Idaho State University professor Daniel Hummel.
BYU Islamic studies professor Daniel Peterson tells Local News 8/KIDK that while the Mormon and Muslim religions are very different there are similarities.
The idea behind Shariah is somewhat like the Word of Wisdom put out by the Mormon Church. It’s a moral code. Unlike Shariah, the Word of Wisdom does not have a capital punishment extension as Shariah does.
Peterson said when people say that all Muslims are associated with ISIS it’s comparable to saying that all LDS church members believe what the FLDS church practices.
“I think Mormons are in a unique position because we are a minority religion that is not popular in many areas of the United States and it is often looked down upon and misrepresented and distorted and it happens to Islam very much these days. Again I’m not saying everything in the Islamic world is just wonderful. There are big issues and it’s not all baseless paranoia. On the other hand the truth is somewhere between the hysteria and a whitewash version. It’s a human movement with something like a billion and a half people. You’re going to have all different sorts of things going on, many good many bad. That’s the way it is,” Peterson said.
Both professors tell Local News 8/KIDK Eyewitness News that no matter what lawmaker do nothing will change.
They also said they believe lawmakers have bigger “fish to fry.”
It’s unknown if House lawmakers will amend and vote on the bill before the Legislature adjourns in the next week.
