Author(s): Sumbul Ali-Karamali

Islam

What is shariah? Is it a draconian, misogynist, and oppressive Islamic law, as the anti-Muslim propagandists insist? Or is it something else, something that inspires nearly a quarter of the world's population to follow its guidelines, turning Islam into the second-largest religion in the world? Award-winning author Sumbul Ali-Karamali draws on scholarship and her degree in Islamic law to discuss shariah in an accessible narrative style: its meaning and development, how Muslims engage with shariah in their daily lives (from diet to LGBTQI issues), and what if has to do with our US Constitution. What gave the shariah-based legal system the strength and flexibility to operate for over a thousand years? What does shariah have to do with the way the world looks like today? And why do we all-Muslim or not-need to care? This in-depth yet engaging and readable discussion of shariah is an introduction to Islam and Muslims as well. In a diverse country where Islam is one of many American religions, this is a topic we all need to understand. Book jacket.