Customer Reviews

Radical Islam's Rules: The Worldwide Spread of Extreme Sharia Law

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From the 2005 paper-back jacket (226 pgs): "A significant consequence of the rise of Islamism in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and other regions of the world is the rapid growth of a starkly repressive version of Islamic shari'a law, often fueled by funds and support from Saudi Arabia. Despite its importance, this worldwide growth of extreme shari'a is under-documented and little understood. Through a detailed comparative analysis of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Nigeria, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the contributors to this timely book document its terrible effects on human rights -- especially the status of women and religious freedom -- of Muslims as well as religious minorities, and of democracy itself. This book also makes a compelling argument that such laws are a direct threat to the Western interest of advancing democracy and human rights. Democratic nations and international human rights groups lack any meaningful policy for dealing with the spread of extreme shari'a." This book "concludes with policy recommendations for the United States regarding specific countries confronting extreme shari'a. Contributors are: M. Barends: teaches law at the University of Leiden; H.F. Bella: was the director of the Sudan Human Rights Organization in Cairo; Mehrangis Kar: Iranian lawyer (Amnesty International names her a 'human rights hero' in 2002); P. Marshall: senior fellow at Freedom House's Center for Religious Freedom; P.G. Riddell: professor of the Center for Islamic Studies at the London School of Theology, Brunel University; S. Schwartz: journalist; Nina Shea: former vice-chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; R.J. Woolsey: former director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Provides specificly identified (numbered) Shari'a laws in seven major Muslim countries. Written in a scholarly, well-researched manner; not in a "Bible thumper's" style so commonly seen from some religious institutions.

I don't know why the author agreed to the title of this book because it is not a compendium of "radical" rules, it is a collection of Islam in its purist form. Having spent many years in countries where Islam is the real law, as opposed to the Western notions of a separation of "church" and state, this is a very well done exposition of what anyone who believes in the freedoms taken for granted in Western societies has to contend with where Islam is in control. bin Laden and his followers are not "extremists". They are not "fundamentalists". They are trying to get Islam back to the "good old days" of the 7th century. The Koran is not just another religious text that is subject to debate and discussion. It is the FINAL authority. Period. For those who cite passages of the Old Testament as examples of religious extremism, they do not understand that this "ultimate" word is the last, undisputed, and undisputable set of rules for mankind. Any dissent is a death sentence. If you don't think so, go to Saudi Arabia and try to debate the issue. Of course if you are a non Muslim, you can't go to Mecca or Medina. Sort of like not being allowed into the Vatican if you aren't a practicing Catholic.
The book does a good job of showing the world as bin Laden and his followers are killing thousands of "infidels" to get to, but we will have to learn the hard way, after many more 9/11's, as to what this means.