Once again the media has distorted the Koranic teachings of Islam by equating the Taliban's definition of Sharia with all of Islam.
The continued distortion and oversimplification of Sharia law only adds to prejudice and fuels irrational antagonism toward all Muslims by failing to acknowledge the evolution of interpretation within the Muslim community.
The Taliban do not speak for Islam. They speak for a small, radical, extremist interpretation of Islamic law which is held only by a small percentage of Muslims. Take a look at today's news to view the distortion:
CNNISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistani government officials
announced Monday that they have reached an agreement with the Taliban
to allow strict Islamic law, or sharia, to be implemented in parts of
North West Frontier Province.
UK, Guardian: Pakistan is to impose Islamic law in a vast region of the north-west called Malakand
NYTIMES PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Government officials and Taliban militants appeared to be near a deal Sunday on the violent Swat region of northern Pakistan, where the militants declared a unilateral 10-day cease-fire and the government indicated it was willing to accept the imposition of Islamic law.
The Taliban version of Sharia is not universally adhered to by all Muslims. There is no single Sharia law universal to all Muslims. The interpretations of Sharia vary widely from country to country, tribe to tribe, and sect to sect. There is no single interpretation. In fact, that of the Taliban is one of the most extreme. Saudi Arabia, Nigeria's northernmost states, and Iran practice the most severe interpretations in the modern world. The 3 nations comprise about 9% of the world's Muslims.
Indonesia, Pakistan, and Turkey, with some of the largest Muslim populations, are governed by secular law with few accommodations to some civil law guided by one or another Sharia interpretations.
Most Sunni shape Sharia by consensus of the ummah (the community), and therefore, you can find wide variations in interpretations, from extremists who justify war against all non-Muslims (and even against some Muslims who do not agree with a particular interpretation) to the modern liberal-feminist interpretations as women become a more vocal and powerful part of the ummah.
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