Shariah Law And Secularism

[Bidaar Wanagsan]

This is an interesting debate between two Islamic academics whom I respect on shariah law and secularism, namely Tariq Ramadan and Abdullahi Ahmed An Naim. It's a bit long, but worth watching in full. I posted it elsewhere, but it deserves a thread all to its own. I have read a couple of their books on the subject and think their disagreements are largely semantic in nature.

Tariq, the atheists here might be interested to know, debated Christopher Hitchens, and he wasn't, I don't think you could say in all fairness, Hitchslapped. He also did his PhD thesis on the work of Nietzsche so you know he's a cut above the low IQ morons with toe length beards who are normally wheeled out to defend Islam. @ArchBishopofAtheism did not even know who Nietzsche was when I debated him. So it's fair to say that the quality of Muslim and atheist polemicists is in sharp decline these days.

 

[lone]

Welcome back. You always have good content.

 

[Bidaar Wanagsan]

Welcome back. You always have good content.

Thank you my brother from another mother. Good to see you too. I was out of action during my hip operation, so I have some ambulatory problems, but alxamdulilah, the doctor said I should be back in fighting form in no time.

I would be interested in your opinion of the Sudanese brother Abdullahi Ahmed An Naim. He's one of the great Muslim thinkers of our age. He's a professor of Islamic studies who campaigns for liberty, human rights, and freedom. A fine mujtahid if there ever was one.

 

[lone]

Thank you my brother from another mother. Good to see you too. I was out of action during my hip operation, so I have some ambulatory problems, but alxamdulilah, the doctor said I should be back in fighting form in no time.

I would be interested in your opinion of the Sudanese brother Abdullahi Ahmed An Naim. He's one of the great Muslim thinkers of our age. He's a professor of Islamic studies who campaigns for liberty, human rights, and freedom. A fine mujtahid if there ever was one.

Wish you a quick recovery. I accept Naim's perspective. The other fellow has hatred for the west. It is stupid to think Turkey is secular because of the army. Shariah would lead to oppression against the minority who are of different religion or are not religious.

 

[Bidaar Wanagsan]

Wish you a quick recovery. I accept Naim's perspective. The other fellow has hatred for the west. It is stupid to think Turkey is secular because of the army. Shariah would lead to oppression against the minority who are of different religion or are not religious.

I agree that shariah as interpreted by medieval sheikhs is backwards and primitive, and that we need to have a secular, free, and libertarian society where everybody is equal before the law, irrespective of their religion, gender, sexuality, or politics. I'm fully behind Abdullahi Ahmed An Naim. But I think Tariq Ramadan is sometimes misunderstood. He's using the word "shariah" in the sense of the Ottoman Caliphate. The Ottomans abolished discrimination against religious minorities and ex-Muslims. They were in favor of equality. So much so so that during the Crimean War, Britain and France fought alongside the Ottomans against Russia. Ottoman Caliphs saw no contradiction between shariah and and secularism. They praticised ijtihad, and adapted their society according to modern needs.