Sharia Is Not One Law, But Three Layers: Why Europe ‘Doesn’t Understand Islam,’ Says Loz Moore
Key Points:
Loz Moore argues Islam cannot be reformed or modernised because Sharia is a rigid, unchangeable legal and political doctrine.
Sharia is not a single religious rule book but a three-layer system governing personal morality, law, and political authority, , Moore says.
Speaking about Islamism and Democracy, writer and activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali says that the ultimate goal of Islamists is to apply the Sharia law.
Islamic Sharia Law is not just a plain, straightforward law, but it has three layers to it, says Loz Moore, in his Nation of Sleepers video reels - a digital content channel on FaceBook. Loz Moore served in the British Army for about 12 years. His tours included Afghanistan and the Middle- East. On his social media platforms, he talks about his experiences, his views on political scenarios and also about health and fitness.
Moore argues that while most people in Europe think of Sharia as one law, which has strict rules and harsh punishments, Sharia has three layers to it. He claims that to have a proper understanding of Islam in Society, these three layers need to be learnt. The three layers he mentions are Moral Framework, Legal Tradition and Political Vision.
The Three Layers Of Sharia
Explaining further, Moore says that the first layer of Sharia, the Moral Framework, has personal duties, day to day obligations that an ideal Muslim must follow. These obligations describe how to pray, how to fast, how to wash before prayers, how to live a moral life and other such duties.
The second layer, the Legal Tradition describes the legal rules of Islam. It contains rules that are derived from legal jurisprudence, contracts, inheritance, marriage, divorce, testimony, financial rules, prescribed punishments and so on. Islamic scholars have preserved these laws in the four schools of Sunni thoughts, and various Shia traditions. Also, these laws were not optional historically, but obligated upon Muslims and formed the backbone of major Muslim societies.
The third layer of the Sharia, the Political Vision governs how Islamic society should function. It includes the authority of rulers, religious judges, the relation between Muslims and Non-Muslims, rules surrounding warfares and so on. This layer allowed various rulers to expand their empires and establish Islamic society, such as the Ottoman empire.
Moore further elaborates on why this understanding matters for Europe, and the Western world. This is because when Western leaders emphasise on the need to modernise Islam, they don’t understand the fact that Islam doesn’t allow reforms, or modernisation. This is embedded in its Sharia concept, that explains the Islamic Doctrine is unchangeable, and has been the same for over 1400 years. Moore says that thus, modernisation in Islam cannot be possible.
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In another video, Moore explains his point further by saying that although the Islamic doctrine is rigid, Muslims on a personal level can modernise, keeping in mind Christian values, or the values of the West. He explains that Christianity allowed reforms and modernisation because it was not built on rigid laws, and Jesus didn’t write a legal code or systems of governance.
Moore says that Christianity reformed because its teachings are moral, spiritual and individual. Islam, on the other hand, is a legal code which describes rules for apostasy, blasphemy, political authority, gender roles etc… Therefore, to tackle its problems, Europe has to redefine its definition of religion, understand exactly what the sharia says, and how it is embedded in the political systems of Islam, he concludes.
What Does Ayaan Hirsi Ali Say About Islam in Democracy?
In a podcast on Ben Habib’s YouTube channel, Ben and Ayaan Hirsi Ali talk about the complex relationship between Democracy and Islamism. Ben Habib is a British-Pakistani politician, and a businessman. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a prominent writer and activist. Her writings include advocacy for the rights and self-determination of Muslim women. She is a Dutch-American former politician, born in Somalia.
Speaking at Ben Habib’s podcast on “Islam, Free Speech & Limits of Tolerance”, Ayaan Hirsi Ali shares her views on democracy and Islamism. Answering Ben Habib’s question on whether Islam is compatible with democracy, she says “If you define democracy as holding elections, Muslims will hold elections to come to power, and then they’ll abolish democracy, and they’ll say no more elections.” Ben Habib responds by saying that the ultimate end of Islam is the end of democracy, to which she agrees, and adds that the ultimate destination of Islamists is to apply the Sharia law.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali also says “Islamists can’t believe that human beings can make law. Islamists want to apply God’s law, Sharia law, as he sees it.” Explaining her point further, she says that wherever Islamists seize control of power, the first thing they do is to apply Sharia law. She points to the various Islamic regimes set up in Iraq, Syria, the Taliban in Afghanistan, parts of Niger, DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), parts of Somalia, Indonesia, where Sharia law is applicable. Concluding her views on the topic, she says that one should not listen to experts who talk and speak and analyse Islamists, rather listen to Islamists themselves, to get a clear understanding.
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