Why We Need to Reform Sharia–Now

Source:CATO Institute Date:26Dec2021

A thought provoking article by Mustafa Akyol about what sharia is and how it can be re-thought to comply with universal values like democracy, gender equality and respect for other faiths.

All religious aspects of sharia—such as prayer and fasting, as well as dress codes and sexual mores—should not be enforced by state power, but practised by faith, like the Jewish halakha.

Meanwhile, the political, criminal and economic aspects of sharia should be understood as a historic search for justice. And since justice is a universal value, Muslims should be open to engage with all the steps humanity has taken towards advancing human rights, modern legal norms and liberal democracy, which may converge with the “higher objectives” of sharia.