Circumnavigate

Comments made on other blogs.

thethon — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:47:29 +0000

thethon // Nov 5th 2007 at 5:42 am

Wow, I have the exact opposite problem. I can’t find enough articles and the articles I do find only seem to be about one aspect of my topic. But, I hope you can find some more diverse articles. I know how much this blog means to you so I know you will definitely put 100% effort into it. Your blog is so deep and insightful. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

thethon // Oct 22nd 2007 at 5:35 am

Wow, you really seem to understand the subtle factors that go into the world economy. Keep up the good work.

thethon // Nov 5th 2007 at 5:53 am

I agree with you. A good diplomatic relationship with china is very important for the united states in the future. We can no longer act unilaterally. I also see no problem with applying gentle pressure on china to change their political system.

Muslim Mortgages

thethon — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 05:16:46 +0000

I found an interesting article about how banks in the united kingdom deal with Muslim mortgages. (Sharia bans charging interest) It is interesting to see how a non-Muslim government deals with Sharia on a social setting. Check it out in the blogroll.

Second FAQ

thethon — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 05:02:33 +0000

I have found a second news article in the FAQ format. It has new information that was not previously included so it is definitely worth a viewing. Check out FAQ 2 on the blog roll.

Analysis Sharia Courts in Europe

thethon — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 04:53:33 +0000

This is the exact solution to the problem I mentioned in my last analysis. These courts apply sharia to situations only both the accused and victim voluntarily acquiesce to it. This way the religous can have the system they want with the added check on them applying it to other people. This solution is unfortunately not without fault.

First, it is possible that these courts may attempt to seek official status and/or more power than they have. If this were to happen these courts could undermine the government of the governments they exist in and as a result begin to apply Sharia to unwilling people. Also, the existance of these courts may cause the muslim community to pressure muslims who do not want to use them into using the shara based court system.

Unofficial Sharia Courts

thethon — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 04:36:10 +0000

Courts have been set up in Great Britain by the Muslim communities to act as alternatives to the actual justice system. Basically should a minor crime be committed by a Muslim against a Muslim it is common practice for the victim to not press charges formally but to have these unofficial courts settle the dispute. Obviously these courts use Sharia rather than the law of the land in Brittan. Muslim Authorities predict that these courts will become formalized networks in Europe in around 10 years. For more information check out my link in the blogroll.

Pakistan: A Jihad for Sharia?

thethon — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 04:17:41 +0000

The article I found about militants in Pakistan highlights an important theme in Sharia. Often some groups of Muslims try to force Sharia onto Muslims who may not agree with it. I feel this is the major human rights issue when it comes to Sharia. Religious freedom is a keystone of my beliefs, but religious freedom is a personal right. You can not be exercising your own religious freedom if that involves taking it away from others. Sharia in a way is no more evil than the 10 commandments, it only becomes a problem when it is enforced on unwilling people.

Sharia in Pakistan

thethon — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 02:59:48 +0000

I just Read a BBC Article about Terrorists in Pakistan fighting against the Pakistani government in the hopes that they can force the government to change the legal system to Sharia. The local populace is divided on the issue as far as what their own opinion on Sharia are but there seems to be a general consensus that both sides should enter into peaceful talks instead of fighting it out. For More info, Check the blog roll under BBC Article.

Breaking News Problems.

thethon — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 02:47:11 +0000

It is really hard to find articles on Sharia that are not about Womans rights. I don’t mind focusing on womens rights, but the problem is I’d like to have some current news about Sharia in general. There are many other ethical issues that Sharia brings up but it seems that the imagery of sharias womens rights abuses is the only newsworthy aspect of sharia.

Ideas on the FAQ

thethon — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:56:47 +0000

The FAQ has actually cleared up some of my questions from an earlier background and analysis post. If the reader recalls I wondered if Persian culture was the reason behind Iran’s good womens rights. While that may be part of it, it also seems that the different Schools are sharia mentioned in the FAQ are also a heavy part. As I now know only 5 crimes are explicitly defined in Sharia and the rest seems more or less open to interpretation. I consider myself well read when it comes to world news and I am a tad upset that I had to dig deeply for this information. Perhaps there really is a gap between american knowledge of the outside world in american media as our global village text book suggets. Perhaps I should blog next about the differences in sharia from country to country if i can find information on it. Considering recent history and the importance of globalization it is evident that we know too little about the social beliefs of this region.

New Sharia Information

thethon — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:47:06 +0000

I just found a new site that is essentially a FAQ on sharia. (see blogroll FAQ on sharia). I’ve discovered lots of new important information and I’ll note the most interesting points here. First, there are actually 5 “schools” or interpretations of Sharia. 4 Sunni and 1 Shiite. Of course this means that different regions in Islam use different versions of sharia. Also, Muslims are not necessarily required to follow sharia to be a practicing Muslim. Many scholars have argued for a modernization of sharia because of this. Finaly there are only 5 crimes in Sharia that are given spacific punishments as they are mentioned in the Quran as an affront to god. They are as follows:

Wine-drinking and, by extension, alcohol-drinking, punishable by flogging
Unlawful sexual intercourse, punishable by flogging for unmarried offenders and stoning to death for adulterers
False accusation of unlawful sexual intercourse, punishable by flogging
Theft, punishable by the amputation of a hand
Highway robbery, punishable by amputation, or execution if the crime results in a homicide.

(Note the previous bullet points were copied directly from the FAQ website in my blogroll)