Slightly less Random Ramblings

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8439899.stm:

Fifty-two unmarried couples could face charges of sexual misconduct and jail terms after being caught in hotel rooms by Malaysia’s Islamic morality police.

The article goes on to say:

Under Malaysia’s Islamic Sharia Law, couples who are not married to each other should not be in a secluded area or confined space, which could give rise to suspicion that they were engaged in immoral acts.

This is an example of what many in the West would call “the” Sharia. The “the” is problematic. Many Muslims voluntarily submit to rulings by Islamic scholars. However, there have been many scholars of Islamic thought and many schools of thought throughout history. To condense 1400 years of scholarship among billions of people into “the” Sharia is a fool’s errand. There is no “the.” There are various interpretations of Islamic law and competing courts are the best way to insure a just outcome. Monopoly justice always carries an element of injustice. Sometimes the injustices are so large that it is difficult to find the justice in the ruling at all. Even in this case, for example, the prohibition against entering the home of another without first being invited appears to have been ignored.