On February 27, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) partnered with United Muslims Moving Ahead (UMMA) at DePaul University to present the first of a six-part lecture series titled Clearing up Controversy. The lecture, titled “Law of Allah? Law of the land? Or both?,” focused on Shariah in the 21st century and societal expectations of law and religion. Dozens of students joined the discussion led by Abdul Malik Ryan, Muslim Chaplain for DePaul University, and engaged in discussion on the many issues of law and how it is enforced, the differences between fiqh and shariah, and the relevance of Shariah in the United States.
“It was a beautiful exchange that led to the understanding that as Muslim Americans we have a duty to protect the sanctity of our religion’s most trusted rituals and expectations given to us by God, but that we also have a duty to uphold the values of our US Constitution. Contrary to popular belief, Shariah and our Constitution have many, many parallels.” said Jameel Karim, CIOGC Youth Coordinator. Abdul Malik Ryan added to this sentiment and reminded the audience, “Shariah is beautiful and a path for people to be guided… We should love it and look to it for guidance as well as show others its beauty and not be afraid of it.”