Freedom, or Islam?

In Who Do You Follow?, I showed you a little of the issues with Islam, especially in the West. Muslims believe that the Quran is the literal word of Allah, and that the later verses abrogate, or supersede the earlier verses. The later verses are more militant, with respect to infidels, or non-believers.

In this blog, I will describe shariah law, and its incompatibilities with the West in general, and specifically our constitutional republic. So we’ll take a look at what shariah law is, the issues with shariah in the West, and finally, why shariah is incompatible with our form of government.

According to the National Center for Constitutional Studies(, there are, broadly, two types of law: Ruler’s Law and People’s Law. The descriptions of each should be self-explanatory. One of the main differences between the two is in the use of force to impose the law.

Under Ruler’s Law, kings or dictators can justify the of force to impose the law, and can have often used religion as justification for doing so. Under People’s Law, starting in Ancient Israel, accepting Jehovah created a powerful, individual call to right actions, without the use of force.

Jehovah created Man with Free Will, including the will to choose to move away from what He wants for us. Thus, our laws impose consequences for the choices selected by the people. Our Founders created our system of government based on natural law, and the Judeo-Christian God. One can disagree with this form of government, or have issues with this form of government, but this is a fact about the nature of our form of governance. It has served to make us the pre-eminent political and cultural force in the world.

Let us contrast this with the doctrine of shariah within Islam. Shariah Law covers the legal, political and military issues faced by Islam. It is a list of compulsory laws that has the use of force at its core, and as you read earlier, is based on the literal word of Allah.

Shariah is an Arabic word meaning “straight path”, or an endless supply of water. (Quran 45:18) “Now We have set you O Prophet on the clear Way of faith. So follow it, and do not follow the desires of those who do not know the truth.” It is used to describe the rules of a lifestyle ordained by Allah. Shariah is held by mainstream Islamic authorities. At issue within Islam is the level, and nature, of enforcement of these laws.

In the West, we typically separate religion from government, and in most cases codify religious tolerance into our laws. Shariah law is the perfect expression of the divine will of Allah, and is considered a complete way of life that. governs the social, political, cultural, military and religious aspects of a Muslim’s life, from the time they’re born until the day they die.

Historically, shariah law has been imposed through jihad, often referred to as ‘holy war‘. At other times shariah is put forth through more stealthy practices called ‘dawa‘ (call to Islam). Regardless of how shariah is implemented, the NCCS points out that it rejects the “fundamental premises of American society and values:”
1. the bedrock proposition that the governed have a right to make law for themselves;
2. the democratic republic governed by the Constitution;
3. freedom of conscience; individual liberty
4. freedom of expression (including the liberty to analyze and criticize shariah);
5. economic liberty (including private property);
6. equal treatment under the law (including that of men and women, and of Muslims and non-Muslims);
7. freedom from cruel and unusual punishments; an unequivocal condemnation of terrorism (i.e., one that is based on a common sense meaning of the term and does not rationalize barbarity as legitimate “resistance”); and
8. an abiding commitment to deflate and resolve political controversies by the ordinary mechanisms of our democratic republic, not wanton violence. The subversion campaign known as “civilization jihad” must not be confused with, or tolerated as, a constitutionally protected form of religious practice. Its ambitions transcend what American law recognizes as the sacrosanct realm of private conscience and belief. It seeks to supplant our Constitution with its own totalitarian framework.(NCCS)

In Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, the Constitution states that it “shall be the supreme law of the land.” In Islam, the Quran is the supreme law over everything. That alone makes our way of life incompatible with shariah, by either direct jihad or dawa. Under the Quran, one must live as a Muslim, live in dhimmitude (a state of being a second-class citizen), or die. Our First Amendment states, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

It is a certainty that there are Muslims in the United States who fully support our way of life and the freedoms it provides. We should support the rights of anyone to live and practice their faith freely. We cannot support those who seek to impose totalitarian practices, especially those using force or intimidation.

Which do you choose; freedom, or Islam?

As for me and my house…