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The Church under the Shadow of Shariah: A Christian Assessment
Contributor(s): Cheong, John (Editor), Riddell, Peter G. (Editor)
ISBN: 0987615459     ISBN-13: 9780987615459
Publisher: Mst (Melbourne School of Theology)
OUR PRICE:   $14.25  
Product Type: Paperback
Published: October 2017
Qty:
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Religion | Biblical Reference - General
- Religion | Islam - General
Series: Occasional Papers in the Study of Islam
Physical Information: 0.39" H x 6" W x 9" (0.55 lbs) 182 pages
Themes:
- Religious Orientation - Islamic
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:

In the 21st century, the expression, "Shariah" - as in "Shariah law" and "Shariah finance" or "Islamic banking" - is heard with increasing frequency (Hefner 2011, Sloane-White 2017). It is important to be clear on just what Shariah is, particularly since some Muslim activists are increasingly promoting it around the world.1

The prolific Western scholar of Islamic law, Joseph Schacht, once described the Shariah as "the core and kernel of Islam itself" (Schacht, 1974:392). The concept appears obliquely in the Qur'an at verse 45:18: "Then We put thee on the (right) Way of Religion Shariah]: so follow thou that (Way), and follow not the desires of those who know not". This passage underpins the common Muslim claim that Shariah law is divinely sourced, fixed and immutable, a gift to humanity from Allah, designed to show Muslims how to live and govern correctly.

Of course, there are different schools of legal interpretation. By the middle of the eighth century A.D., several had emerged in the Muslim Abbasid Empire. Of these, four survived among majority Sunni Muslims: the Hanafite, Malikite, Shafi'ite, and Hanbalite schools, the last being the most conservative/literalist. Further schools emerged among the minority Shiite Muslims, and several are in play today, as explained in Anthony McRoy's paper on "The Iranian Church under the Shadow of Shi'a Shariah".

Even a cursory look at Shariah legal codes shows that they are marked with inequality and excess. Consider first, inequality; in Shariah courts, "all jurists, court officials and the judge must be Muslims; non-Muslims are not allowed to take part in any way. No woman may become a judge" (Solomon & Wakeling, 2009: 7).

Contributor Bio(s): Cheong, John: - John teaches, researches, writes and consults with and for people interested in missions. He has been an aid and advisor to: ministry leaders, local pastors, church workers and mission workers desiring more focused or targeted mission strategies, particularly in Asia. Mission and theology professors seek his advice in key mission insights, perspectives and resources on globalization, Islam, (Asian) Pentecostalism, spiritual warfare, urban mission and Asian/contextual theology. He also writes, researches and publishes and collaborates on book writing/publishing projects.Riddell, Peter G.: - Peter completed his PhD at the Australian National University, focusing on Islam in Southeast Asia. He studied Qur'anic Exegesis at L'Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes/Sorbonne (Paris) and held a post-doctoral fellowship at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has previously taught at the Australian National University, the Institut Pertanian Bogor (Indonesia), the London School of Oriental and African Studies, and was appointed as Professor of Islamic Studies at the London School of Theology, where he served from 1996-2007 as the founding Director of the Centre for Islamic Studies and Muslim-Christian Relations. In addition to his present MST appointment, Peter is also a Professorial Research Associate in the Department of History, SOAS, University of London. Peter has published widely on Southeast Asia, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations. His books include Transferring a Tradition (Berkeley, Centers for South and Southeast Asian Studies, Univ. California, 1990); Islam and the Malay-Indonesian World: Transmission and Responses (London, Hurst, 2001); Islam in Context (with Peter Cotterell, Grand Rapids, Baker, 2003); and Christians and Muslims: pressures and potential in a post-9/11 world (Leicester, IVP, 2004). His next book will be a historical study of the Qur'an in Southeast Asia, to be published by Brill Publishers in 2017.