Sharia law will not put additional pressure on non-Muslims: Shishir Monir

Supreme Court lawyer and Jamaat-e-Islami MP candidate Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir has clarified his position on the question of whether Sharia law will be established if Jamaat-e-Islami comes to power, and if so, whether it will also apply to people of different religions.

Recently participating in a private television talk show, he said that there are many misconceptions in society about the implementation of Islamic Sharia law. The main point of Islamic law is to establish justice, not to spread fear.

In response to the question of whether Sharia law will apply to people of different religions, Shishir Monir said, “What is Islamic law? Islamic law is that if someone is proven to have stolen, then he will be punished. However, it must be understood how these provisions have been interpreted in the past. Islamic rule lasted for about 800 years during the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. But how many people had their hands cut off during that time? Rather, in many cases, the punishment for theft has been suspended rather than implemented.”

He also said, “When we oversimplify that Sharia means cutting off hands—then it becomes a misinterpretation. In interpreting Islamic law, the context, social conditions, and objectives have to be considered. This is not a harsh or inhumane system.”

When asked about changing or modernizing the law, Shishir Monir said, “It is not right to view religious law in a binary or black-and-white way. Each incident will be evaluated differently according to the social context. For example, a planned murder and a murder committed out of excitement are not the same. Just as there are differences in the penal code, so is the case in Sharia.”

He further explained that the implementation of Sharia law does not mean that fear will be created in society. Rather, the goal of the law will be justice and crime suppression.

Regarding people of different religions, Shishir Monir said, “Just as the Penal Code of Bangladesh is equally applicable to everyone, similarly in Sharia, the structure of justice is the same for people of all religions. There will be no extra harshness or any special exemption for anyone here.”

Former president of Dhaka University Chhatra Shibir, Shishir Monir said, many people give politically incorrect interpretations of Islamic law. However, history shows that peace and social balance were maintained in the world for a long time during the era of Islamic rule.

He concluded by saying, "It is not right to spread fear or confusion about religious law. Sharia law is primarily intended to establish order in society based on justice, humanity, and accountability."