jeff, what qualifications do you have in sharia law? have you read any books on sharia law?

have you read, for instance, the transcript of a lecture given by a visiting leader of the Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest islamic organisation in the world? you can find it on the website of the Centre for Independent Studies.

if sharia's approach to commercial transaction was so alien, why is it that at least one australian judge has said that we owe much of our commercial law to sharia influences?

once again, sharia is a legal tradition with lots of variety and many differing and contradicting interpretations. if you choose not to accept this, that is your choice. i cannot stop you from being ignorant on this subject if you insist on it.

Irfan,
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I appreciate that you wanted to qualify what I was asking.

However, can you please be clear –

Do you wish to see Islamic based law in this country?

Do you believe in freedom of belief and equal protection of all beliefs?

I know you know I am not antagonistic about Islam and have raised my 'voice' for tolerance, so please be clear for me.

And all you Christians, what about yourselves on these questions (as to Christian 'core' beliefs, etc?

Ifran

Do you want banks that provide interest free loans to muslism only in Australia?

islamic divorces with worse laws for women than we have here under Australian Law

a yes or no to both questions will do?

Ro,
Please read posts correctly. I always post quotes with inverted commas. What you quoted that I was supposed to have said was actually a quote from Kayser Trad. Please be diligent!

Reason,
I suggest you look at the record of recent / current democratic States where Christianity is the major faith, eg Australia; and ask do you want more of the same values or stricter laws based in religious observences with the death penalty. Though some Judges are inept in meeting community expectations the community are generally pretty close in espousing Christian values. Tolerance with forgivness is the initial attitude then justice with mercy, then judgment with balanced corrective penalty for violations of socially accepted norms.

apologies Philo, no offence intended by my misreading your quotation marks.

Philo,
I may or may not disagree with your assessment of the current state of the world.

However, I want a simple answer to the questions I posed. Can you be straight forward and answer them thus?