Day 30

There is much confusion in C circles these days about I. On the one hand, testimonies of the persecution of Cs, violence and discrimination keep pouring out of countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and others. The move to ban the full-face veil in several countries in Europe also conflates extreme versions of I law (Sharia) with I and Ms in general. On the other hand, the slogan "I is a religion of peace" appears in the secular media alongside report of new terrorism plots of al-Qaeda and associates. Where is the truth?
The truth is, I history reveals a lot more complexity then Ms themselves recognise. I law, which only appeared gradually in the third century after Mohammad's death, was developed over time by at least six schools, with significant disagreements among them. This was "applied jurisprudence", with the the term "Sharia" usually referring to G*d's ideal blueprint for a godly human society as drawn from the Qur'an and the Example (Sunna) of the Prophet. Precious few texts, however, touched on what we would call "constitutional law" today. In practice, from the early caliphates to the many little kingdoms that arouse on the fringes of empires, to the last great empire of the Ottomans, the history of M societies can be summarised in the ongoing tug-of-war between the legal specialists and the political rulers. More often than not, they were at odds.
Today, M nations are all modern nations-states, signatories to UN conventions now considered as "international law." A majority of them are authoritarian. Yet, according to the landmark Gallup Pol conducted between 2001 and 2007 in 35 M countries, a vast majority of Ms consider I and democracy, gender equality and freedom of speech as the keys to a peaceful and prosperous society. They just don't agree with the way these values are modelled in the West; they prefer to apply them according to their own traditions.

• P-ay Rangi Ms will meet Chr!st!ans who will reflect the life and love of the Mess!ah to them. Col 4:3 Ps 9:20


• P-ay for Rangi, who are 93% Ms.