Sharia Law vs. Human Rights

Sacred Justice or Tribal Control?

One of Islam’s most defended institutions is Sharia — the body of religious law derived from the Quran and Hadith. It's presented by Muslims as a divinely revealed legal code that governs every aspect of life, from criminal justice to prayer rituals, family structure to finance.

But the more you examine it, the more it resembles a 7th-century tribal code, not timeless moral law. It clashes head-on with universal human rights, and its enforcement in many Muslim-majority countries today leaves a trail of inequality, cruelty, and repression.

This is not divine justice.

This is patriarchal, authoritarian control, codified by religious authority and sealed against reform.

Let’s look at seven core Sharia laws that violate modern human rights standards — and the Quranic/Hadith foundations that enshrine them.

☠️ 1. Death for Apostasy

“Whoever changes his religion — kill him.”
— Sahih Bukhari 3017

Sharia law demands the execution of apostates — anyone who leaves Islam. This is upheld by all four major Sunni madhhabs (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali).

Quranic Tension:

Surah 2:256: “Let there be no compulsion in religion.”
Surah 3:85: “Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him.”

Contradiction: While the Quran says there’s no compulsion, Hadiths (and Islamic jurists) enforce the ultimate punishment for leaving Islam. In countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, apostasy is still punishable by death.

🪨 2. Stoning for Adultery

“Stone the married adulterer to death.”
— Sahih Muslim 1690a

Despite the Quran prescribing 100 lashes for adultery (24:2), Hadiths overrule this with the barbaric act of stoning to death — a punishment never mentioned in the Quran.

What’s worse: some Islamic jurists claim the verse of stoning was once in the Quran but was “abrogated in recitation, not in ruling.” This means:

God removed the verse from the Quran,
But Muslims still have to obey the law it once contained.

This is theological absurdity and judicial cruelty — based on invisible verses.

🍷 3. Flogging for Drinking Alcohol

“If he drinks [alcohol], lash him.”
— Sunan Abu Dawud 4483

Public flogging — usually 40 or 80 lashes — is mandated for those caught drinking. This punishment, rooted in Hadith and early caliphal practice, is still applied in countries like Saudi Arabia.

Even though alcohol use is a personal, non-violent act, it is criminalized with brutal corporal punishment, reflecting zero distinction between public harm and private autonomy.

✂️ 4. Amputation for Theft

“Cut off the hand of the thief.”
— Quran 5:38

This verse is still enforced literally in some Muslim countries. In places like Saudi Arabia and Iran, thieves have had their hands amputated for stealing — even for non-violent property crimes.

There’s no concept of proportionality or reform:

A starving man who steals bread?
A desperate woman stealing to feed children?

The law cuts indiscriminately.

👊 5. Beating Wives for Disobedience

“As to those [wives] from whom you fear rebellion… beat them.”
— Quran 4:34

Apologists attempt to soften this — claiming it means “light tap,” “symbolic strike,” or “last resort.” But the classical interpretations — from Ibn Kathir to al-Tabari to al-Qurtubi — explicitly allow physical discipline.

Hadiths further reinforce male dominance:

Sahih Muslim 1466c: “If I were to order anyone to prostrate before another, I would have ordered women to prostrate before their husbands.”

This is not a partnership. It is religious patriarchy.

🧮 6. Half Inheritance for Women

“For the male, a portion equal to that of two females.”
— Quran 4:11

Sharia law mandates that women receive half the inheritance of men. Why? Because men are considered financial providers and guardians — a tribal logic that erases women’s autonomy, independence, and capability.

Today, this law still deprives countless Muslim women of equal economic rights, especially in rural and traditional communities.

⚖️ 7. Testimony: Two Women = One Man

“Call two witnesses… if two men are not available, then one man and two women…”
— Quran 2:282

In Sharia courts:

A woman’s testimony is often worth half that of a man,
Or outright inadmissible in serious cases (e.g. murder, adultery).

Islamic scholars justify this by citing women’s alleged “emotional nature” or “lack of reasoning” — an insult codified into law.

This is institutionalized gender inequality, not justice.

🌐 Conclusion: Sharia vs. Human Rights

Universal human rights affirm:

Freedom of belief
Equality of genders
Protection from cruel and inhumane punishments
Equal access to justice

Sharia law violates every single one of these.

Muslims claim Sharia is eternal and divine — but its content shows it is:

Historically conditioned
Male-centered
Politically enforced
Morally deficient by modern standards

This is not timeless wisdom.

This is 7th-century tribalism, fossilized in sacred texts, and exported across centuries through fear, force, and cultural domination.

Islam Imploding

Saturday, May 31, 2025