Muslim student group shares meaning behind Sharia, way of life

Dressed in traditional Muslim garb, Mufti Abdullah Nana explained the mystery behind Sharia to an audience of Muslims and non-Muslims.

“The entire life of a Muslim can be classified as Sharia,” Nana said.

In the Muslim Student Association-hosted event for Discover Islam Week, Nana explained how many Americans fall victim to ignorance when it comes to understanding Sharia and Islam.

“There is such ignorance that many people have no clue what Islam is,” Nana said. “When the sponsors of the bills were asked what Sharia is, they had no answer,” said Mufti of the anti-Sharia laws that have been introduced in some states.

Nana explained Sharia as not just Islamic law, but a code of life for all Muslims.

Nana also spoke of the similarities between the American legal system and Islam.

“Our legal system here in America has strong links and owes a lot to Islam,” Nana said.

Nana said the jury system and the concepts of reasonable doubt and legal representation were all borrowed from Islam.

Michael Calvert, a third-year in international studies, came to hear Nana discuss Sharia because he thinks it is an interesting topic in the world today.

“I had no idea that the Western law system is based so much on Sharia,” Calvert said. “There are a lot more similarities than people realize.”

Maria Ahmad, a fourth-year in speech and hearing sciences and president of the MSA, also attended the event.

“Sharia is on the news all the time, and even as Muslims we don’t know exactly what it entails,” Ahmad said.

Nana ended his talk about Sharia by promoting more cross cultural understanding.

“When you don’t understand something, you’re bound to hate it,” Nana said. “You need to open up lines of communication. Once a person reads and learns about Islam they should be more tolerant.”