Truth About Islam

Sharia in the 21st Century

How Ancient Law Shapes Modern Oppression — From Apostasy to Gender Inequality

Sharia is often portrayed as a timeless moral framework, divinely ordained for all people and all eras. Its proponents insist it brings justice, harmony, and spiritual clarity. But when we examine how modern Muslim-majority societies implement Sharia, a disturbing picture emerges.

What we find is not moral clarity, but codified injustice—a legal system trapped in the norms of 7th–10th century Arabia, enforced in societies that are otherwise connected to the 21st century.

This post examines how Sharia—based primarily on unverifiable hadiths and medieval jurisprudence—translates into real-world legal discrimination, suppression of dissent, and systemic gender inequality.

⚖️ Part 1: Apostasy and Blasphemy — Thought Crime in the Name of God

The Law:

Under classical Sharia, leaving Islam (apostasy) or criticizing its doctrines (blasphemy) is punishable by death.

Key hadith often cited:

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

“No Muslim is killed for killing a disbeliever.”
— Sahih Bukhari 111

The Problem:

The Qur’an itself never prescribes a worldly punishment for apostasy (e.g., Qur’an 2:256, 18:29). Yet hadith-based law overrides Qur’anic tolerance.

21st Century Outcomes:

Pakistan: Dozens executed or imprisoned for “blasphemy”—including people with mental illness.
Iran: Converts from Islam to Christianity are imprisoned, tortured, or executed.
Saudi Arabia: Atheism and public doubt = "terrorism."

Conclusion: Sharia criminalizes thought and conscience, not crime. It legally enforces ideological obedience—with violence if necessary.

👩‍⚖️ Part 2: Gender Apartheid — Sacred Inequality

Under Sharia, men and women are not equal before the law.

Codified Discrimination:

Legal Domain	Male	Female
Inheritance (Qur’an 4:11)	Double	Half
Testimony in court (2:282)	Full	Half
Marriage	Can marry non-Muslims	Must marry Muslim
Divorce (Talaq)	Unilateral right	Restricted, complex
Domestic Violence (4:34)	Allowed	Beaten

These laws are not fringe interpretations—they are mainstream fiqh.

Modern Outcomes:

Saudi Arabia: Women cannot marry without guardian consent; male guardianship is legally enshrined.
Sudan & Afghanistan: Marital rape has no legal recognition; obedience is obligatory.
Iran: A woman’s word is worth half a man’s in court; dress codes enforced by morality police.

Conclusion: Sharia treats women as second-class citizens, structurally and doctrinally.

🚫 Part 3: Stoning, Amputation & Hudud — Medieval Punishment in Modern States

The Laws (based on hadith):

Adultery: Stoning to death
Theft: Hand amputation
Alcohol: 80 lashes
Fornication: 100 lashes (Qur’an 24:2, but stoning added via hadith)

Modern States That Apply These:

Saudi Arabia: Public beheadings and amputations
Iran: Stonings and lashings still carried out (though often concealed)
Nigeria (Sharia states): Amputations and floggings under Sharia courts

These punishments are derived not from ethics but from literalist enforcement of ancient hadith, filtered through juristic consensus.

Conclusion: The “justice” of Sharia is brutality inherited from pre-modern desert tribalism, rebranded as divine law.

🧠 Part 4: Enforced Conformity — Speech, Dress, and Private Life

Sharia isn't just law—it's totalitarian social control.

Examples:

Iran: Mandatory hijab, enforced by morality police
Taliban: Ban on female education beyond primary level
Brunei: Criminalizes homosexuality with death by stoning

Speech against Islamic teachings is often labeled "blasphemy" or "insulting Islam"—even in secular contexts.

Criticize a prophet? Prison.
Doubt a hadith? Apostasy.
Remove a headscarf? Immorality.

Conclusion: Sharia extends the state's reach into every aspect of life—from thought to clothing, from love to literature.

🔍 Part 5: Sacred Injustice—Institutionalized and Exported

Real-World Cost:

Human rights violations in dozens of countries
Global persecution of atheists, converts, and reformers
Suppression of dissent, artistic freedom, and secular law

Even international Muslim bodies, like the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation), push for global anti-blasphemy laws, attempting to export Sharia’s thought control.

Meanwhile, Islamic scholars defend these outcomes as “misunderstandings” or “cultural implementations,” deflecting criticism while preserving the framework.

🧩 Conclusion: Legal Time Capsule, Not Eternal Justice

Sharia, in practice, is not divine justice. It is a pre-modern moral framework wrapped in divine branding.

At its core, Sharia is:

A system built on unverifiable hadith
Shaped by medieval patriarchal norms
Enforced through authoritarianism
Defended through selective reasoning

In the 21st century, such a system cannot coexist with freedom, equality, or modern human rights.

To insist otherwise is not piety—it is ideological delusion.