Is sharia compatible with secularism?

Sharia is often presented as a barbaric system of law implying stoning and flogging. Notably, it is perceived as a system of law that runs counter to European values such as democracy and secularism. But in a European context, sharia is constantly changing and is no longer in contradiction with democracy and secularism.

In a new article “Sharia and secularism in France” - published in the edited volume *Sharia Discourses' - Senior Researcher Manni Crone discusses how sharia is currently evolving in a European context.

French Islamists are currently struggling to “acclimatize” sharia to a European context. For instance, French imam Tareq Oubrou has elaborated the concept of a “minority sharia” taking into consideration that, in Europe, Muslims are in the minority. As long as Muslims are free to exercice their religion, sharia should be flexible and respect not only the secular laws of Europe, but also the social norms.

But sharia is not only adapting to a European context via intellectual concepts, but also via spontaneous social practices.

Manni Crone, “Sharia and Secularism in France”, Jørgen S. Nielsen and Lisbet Christoffersen (eds.), Sharia as Discourse, London: Ashgate Publishing