The fear of Sharia Law

There is a fear of Islam, and with the seemingly growing Islamic population, there is a fear that Sharia Law will be imposed on us.

At least that is the impression gained when reading some of the social media posts forwarded to me by my Christian Zionist friend. Christians will tell you that we, Australians, are a Christian nation and that the laws are based on the biblical laws, starting with the Ten Commandments, and subsequent laws given to the Israelites in the escape from Egypt and their 40 year wandering through the Sinai Desert on the way to the promised land.

It just so happened that I was leafing through John Safran’s book, ‘Depends What You Mean By Extremists,’ and a brief discussion on the text, Leviticus 20, v13 between Safran and a rabbi is quoted:

“There is certainly more latitude given to religions, because of their historical role. Frankly, I give my religion more latitude because I believe it’s stuff that God said. We’re looking at it through an angle of Western secular society. Some stuff is very, very hard to swallow. I’ve met transgender people and gay people. Very hard for them to read through that portion.” (Leviticus 20:13)

“How do you even know that?” The Rabbi squeaks.

“Because I like to drive Father Bob crazy by bringing it up,” I say of my Catholic priest radio co-host.

Leviticus 20:13 states:

“If a man lies with a male as one does with a woman, the two of them have done an abhorrent thing; they shall be put to death – their bloodguilt is upon them.”

“What does Father Bob say about Leviticus 20:13?”

“Well, Christians get off the hook,” I tell him, because of the New Testament. “Because Jesus died, things got reset or something.” (page 112).

But is it that the laws regarding homosexuality, or a myriad of other laws outlined in Leviticus changed because of the New Testament, and that Jesus died, or could it be that laws, especially with the rise of democracy and an increased emphasis on human rights have changed the laws regarding perceived moralities?

Laws have been draconian throughout history, capital punishment was common for any number of crimes, including homosexuality, even in ‘Christian’ Britain and Europe.

Charles Dickens book, ‘Tale of Two Cities’, opens with the famous line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” and goes on to describe the scene at a cross road. A man is hanging from gallows, and had been for several days, the birds had been feasting on the rotting body. The message is clear: obey or die.

As the book progresses, executions become focal points, in England, London, the gallows, in France, Paris the guillotine.

In each case, the public executions sent the same message: obey or die, for whatever law has been transgressed.

It is interesting here to reflect back on Leviticus 20:13 for a moment. Sex between men was a capital crime as recently as 1861 in England, Germany, France, Italy, and still is in six UN member states, five are Islamist states, and Uganda, under fundamentalist Christian rule.

Laws change, especially where those with political power are elected to represent their electorates, where they are ultimately answerable to their constituents.

Much the same can be seen in Islam. There are a number of Islamic states ruled under religious leaderships, such as Afghanistan and Iran, and the states alluded to above, but each is enforcing draconian interpretation of Islamic, or Sharia laws, but mainly in the suppression of their populations to enforce religious compliance.

It is interesting to view the history of, and changes to Sharia Law, to understand that it is really not such a threat, as the anti-Islamists would have us believe.

As with ‘Christian’ laws, under Sharia Law, there are two specific duties, the first is the ritualistic, the relationship with whatever God is the giver of the laws, the second is the interpersonal, the relationship with fellow human beings.

As with the Ten Commandments, where the first tablet of the law related to the relationship of people to God, so with Sharia Law, the first responsibility is to worship, respect, obey God, the punishment for Apostasy, not complying to the orthodoxy defined or interpreted by the Muslim leadership, is death. Simple, pray five times a day or die… except that really doesn’t happen. Even in Afghanistan or Iran which are the closest we have as Islamic Theocracies. Yes, people are punished, publicly, but not for apostasy.

Under the rule of the Taliban before the last war, there were public executions, but for crimes against other people.

Again, as with the Ten Commandments, where the second tablet of laws related to people’s relationship with each other, you shall not kill, steal, have sex with your neighbour’s spouse, and so forth, so with Sharia Law.

Punishments were initially retributive, for example, when a person was accused of theft, there was a hearing, a formal court hearing and if found guilty, the victim of the theft had the right to amputate the thief’s hand, in the case of Highway Robbery, the amputation of a foot. Importantly, the victim had the right to carry out the punishment, or could negotiate a material settlement, money or some other form of restitution, agreed to within the legal structure.

Where there was a proven case of adultery, both the man and woman could be stoned to death, in the case of unmarried sex, 100 lashes.

Again, it is rare for such punishments to be inflicted today. As with the biblical laws and prescribed punishments, things have changed. And while there may be a call for Sharia Laws to apply, when seen in the context of living ‘under the law’, that is, a person so conducts their lives that they do not transgress any of the laws, whether from Leviticus or those under Sharia Law, or indeed any other faith based, religious based laws, they will not break any laws of democratic states.

The ‘fear’ of repercussions for non compliance to perceived laws is a form of bullying, and is very much alive in religious circles. Amal Awad comments on an incidence of bullying regarding the wearing of the hijab, where a man threatened that:

“… he would like to shoot me with a golden gun. He did it in a roundabout way, his tone was mocking but threatening. On my public (Facebook) thread, he warned me that he would let me get away with talking about hijab this time but I shouldn’t do it again. I sensed that he was young and obsessed with the behaviour of others rather than invested in his own.” (Beyond Veiled Cliches, Page 126).

So why should we fear the growth of Islam?

Or could it be that those ramping up fears are more concerned about others than their own behaviours? The fear of others who may not look like they ‘should look’, do not worship their gods, do not live up to the standards that they wish to impose, other than to live the lives which they ask others to live?

The fears are promoted mainly through the political right, people such as the followers of Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point movement which has grown to include an active chapter here in Australia, to promote rightwing ‘Christian’ values into Australian politics.

The agenda focusses on the removal of hard won rights which allow people to be who they are, that people who define themselves, and live alternate sexualities are able to be criminalised, that abortion right be removed, that women’s right be negated, the anti-immigrant fear-mongering is ramped up. But any thought of actually seeing people for who they are and honouring their right to equality of opportunity is seen as a threat to the essential WASP, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant position of ‘superiority’ is not challenged.

We see this in Trump’s America with the removal of abortion rights, the campaign to remove ‘illegal’ immigrants, people who do not look like ‘they should be there.’

We see it in Britain with the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform Party and the white supremacist agenda, the anti-immigrant rhetoric.

We see it in New Zealand with the push to de-Moari-fy place names and remove ancestral rights to land and the sea.

We see it here in Australia as we seek to criminalise the most marginalised of our people, inrceasing the incarceration rate of Aboriginal people but do next to nothing to improve their lives.

I saw a video of Julian Leeser address the parliament during the debate for the Hate Speech legislation. As a Jew, his speech was impassioned, highlighting the way in which anti-semitism dehumanises. I agree with him, any form of hate speech works to dehumanise those being targeted. I have also heard and seen news reports where Benjamin Netanyahu reviles Palestinians, using terms which denigrate them to being less than animals. I have heard a relative described in homophobic terms by another relative.

I guess the important thing is that we learn to respect others, be more cognisant of our own attitudes and behaviours, to where possible, live the lives we would like from others, that I show myself to be respectful, to cede the same rights I demand on others, and that right is to be myself, to be themselves.

But it seems that for some, difference is a cause for fear. Sharia Law is a cause for fear, being brown or black is a cause for fear. That fear comes from a deliberate choice to not learn, to not understand that the differences we see around us enhance the communities we live in.

Fear manifests as hatred.

The conversation quoted from John Safran’s book ends with a question of forgiveness and the power of hatred:

“Hatred absolutely consumes the hater more than it does the hated.”

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