A worrying encouragement of a brutal and undemocratic system that may lead to Sharia law courses in primary school and the entrance of an Islamist party in Sweden.
A course on Sharia law in Sweden and Europe has given rise to strong reactions.
“I know it’s not April 1st today so I guess they who have suggested a course in Sharia at the university are not joking. The question then becomes – will the school teach the brutal reality of the Sharia, or will it – as in the media – praise Islam’s great values and laws?” an upset individual writes in an e-mail to the university. The e-mail author continues:
“Another question we should ask ourselves is how far all this will go. It’s not completely unreasonable to believe that it is only a matter of time that Sharia will be one of the basic courses in school, and Sweden will have it’s first Islamist party.”
“Very oppressive”
The person behind the e-mail is not alone in being upset. Another letter claims that the Sharia glorifies violence:
“Now I’m not 100% well-read on exactly what Sharia means, but if you google on Sharia and watch the news, it is no fun. Women are forced to comply with dress codes and are stoned to death if they do not, and so on. In other words, there is much oppression and extremely conservative views forced on others who may not agree.”
Another person goes so far as to question whether a course on Sharia law is allowed at all:
“It worries me that you have a course that seeks to promote a religious law that violates human rights, is undemocratic, segregate the sexes, and does not tolerate other religions. Is this even permitted by Swedish law?”
Hostile attitude
Rickard Lagevall, an Islamology PhD-student who is responsible for the course, is not surprised over the negative reactions:
“I do not get upset, I’m used to this. There is a hostile attitude towards Islam, especially in the blogosphere. Many flinch even more when they hear the word Sharia compared to when they hear the word Islam.
Why is it so?
“One thinks mainly of the death penalty and corporal punishment for theft or adultery. But it is misleading- Shari’a is not even applied in most Muslim countries.
“Not a course in Sharia”
Moreover, the angry e-mail authors have misunderstood what the course is about, according to Rickard Lagevall.
“It is not a course in Sharia. It is a course on Sharia. The course is a multidisciplinary combination of Islamology and law as addressing the issues of how divorce is handled when couples married in a Muslim country split in Europe, for example.”
Began in 2009
The course, which studies the application of Sharia in Sweden and Europe, is 7.5 credits and will be held for the third time this Fall. As of this year, however, the course has been moved online.
Rickard Lagevall has no explanation as to why the course brought such strong reactions now. “We got some e-mails when the course first began as well. As far as I know we haven’t been marketing the course more this year.”
Translation: Joanna Tsai and Gustaf Eriksson
