The on-going dialectic of Muslim desires regarding the rules of Islam ('Sharia'), followed by Western responses and, in turn, Muslim counter-responses, is what creates the dynamic that makes up ... Show moreThe on-going dialectic of Muslim desires regarding the rules of Islam ('Sharia'), followed by Western responses and, in turn, Muslim counter-responses, is what creates the dynamic that makes up ‘Sharia in the West’. This article discusses the third tier of the Sharia-dialectic, that is the manners in which Muslims respond (in terms of Sharia) to the Western responses regarding Sharia. It will be shown that the Muslim responses are quite diverse and at time squite innovative. This sheds a new light on our understanding of 'Sharia'. Show less
Er zijn vijf modellen voor de relatie tussen staat en religie. Deze zijn: 1) Politieke atheïsme; 2) Politieke agnosticisme; 3) Multiculturalisme; 4) Staatskerk en 5) Theocratie. Het model van het... Show moreEr zijn vijf modellen voor de relatie tussen staat en religie. Deze zijn: 1) Politieke atheïsme; 2) Politieke agnosticisme; 3) Multiculturalisme; 4) Staatskerk en 5) Theocratie. Het model van het politieke agnosticisme staat voor de behandeling van - of negeren van - alle religies en niet-religies op gelijke voet: de staat neemt uit principe geen standpunt in vóór of tegen religie en (on)gelovigen. Multiculturalisme, daarentegen, richt zich op een positieve behandeling van minderheden. Het proefschrift richt zich op het tweede model, multiculturalisme, en op het vijfde model, theocratie. De onderzoeksvraag is: wat zijn de implicaties van de politieke ideologieën van het multiculturalisme en Islamitisch fundamentalisme? En, meer in het bijzonder, wat is de verhouding tussen deze ideologieën als het gaat om het debat over de legitimiteit van Shariaraden in het Verenigd Koninkrijk? Show less
This book explains how Sharia, commonly called Perda Sharia (Sharia by-law) in Indonesia, was legislated on the provincial, regional and municipal level in West Sumatra. This process began after... Show moreThis book explains how Sharia, commonly called Perda Sharia (Sharia by-law) in Indonesia, was legislated on the provincial, regional and municipal level in West Sumatra. This process began after the government started a decentralization policy in 2000. Although the law of local autonomy prescribes that religious matters are excluded from the authority of local government, the legislation of Sharia by local authorities is justified by the argument that Sharia, in addition to Minangkabau custom (adat), has become an identity marker of the people (as goes the local maxim: ‘adat is based on Sharia, Sharia is based on the Quran’ [adat basandi Syara’, Syara’ basandi Kitabullah/ABSSBK]). The Sharia by-laws that are dealt with in this book fall into four categories: public morality, Muslim dress code, the obligation to be able to recite the Quran and Islamic charity institutions. This thesis examines the following stages of the realization of Sharia by-laws: the draft of a law, the public and parliamentary discussion and debates about it and finally its text and implementation. It is concluded that justification for local Sharia legislation is debatable, not in the least because there is no explicit rule that gives authority to the local governments to legislate Sharia laws Show less
From 2003 through 2006 a debate developed on the introduction of “sharia law” or sharia arbitration in Ontario, Canada. The author shows how an issue that was in its core about legal principles and... Show moreFrom 2003 through 2006 a debate developed on the introduction of “sharia law” or sharia arbitration in Ontario, Canada. The author shows how an issue that was in its core about legal principles and practices turned into a debate about women’s inequality, and by extension Canadian national identity and culture. The ensuing public lambasting of Islam reinforced the notion that Islam and gender inequality are inherently incompatible. Important questions regarding faith-based arbitration were thus ignored, and with it the possibility to improve gender equality. Show less
