http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008 ... ia039.html
Letter: On 'Surveys on sharia'
Fri, 07/04/2008 11:07 AM
This refers to an editorial titled "Surveys on Sharia" (The Jakarta Post, June 27, p. 6)
An initial response was going to be: "Sharia applies to Muslims only," until it was seen that in Saudi Arabia, which is subjectively referred to as "the home of Islam", sharia laws apply to practically everyone present in the country.
Thus, having realized the possible misinterpretation of the initial response, with a slight alteration, this response shall state the following: in Islam, sharia applies to Muslims only. To apply the laws to all people would not be a decision taken by Islam, but a decision taken by the state, which is to remain fair and rationally secular for people of other beliefs.
Thus: "in terms of statehood, secular law wins out," unless religious law is defined in terms of secular law, where sharia is applied as state law for all people.
In relation:
"The survey could have gone further and used examples of conventions in countries that apply sharia or profess to be Islamic states.
"It could have asked respondents if they supported the idea of no school for girls, as in Taliban Afghanistan, or about banning women from walking in the streets unaccompanied (unbelievably, this is already enforced in nearby Tangerang after 10 p.m.), or about no driving for women, as in Saudi Arabia, or no watching soccer for women, as in Iran," the simplified image described does not define the result of the implementation of sharia in different societies.
More factors are obviously involved other than religion, making the previous examples invalid. Moreover, women not walking in the streets unaccompanied is different to women not walking in the streets unaccompanied after 10 p.m.
Additionally, in response to:
"To the majority of Muslims, sharia simply means Islamic law, which probably explains why many respondents in these surveys supported it. No good Muslim would be caught publicly saying he or she opposes sharia.
"It is actually surprising that the support does not reach 80 or 90 percent. But this goes to show the Muslim ambivalence on the sharia debate." The author is not in the position to draw a conjecture on the individual consciences and characters that make up such a large number of Muslims, "80 or 90 percent", of the population.
KARINA SOEMARWOTO
Leiden, The Netherlands