ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

71 THE ARAB WORLD, ISLAM AND THE WEST The OASI - pages 40-41 - 12-2001 West and Islam It would be wrong to set the West, which is a geographical-political entity, against Islam, which is a religion. It is more appro- priate to speak of the differences between the laws (leaving aside the customs and habits) of the West and those of the Isla- mic states. It would be useful for everyo- ne to illustrate the substantial differences that exist between Italian law and that of the countries of Islam. And it is well known that the Sharia applied in interpersonal relations discriminates against non-Mu- slims. The ambassadors of the countries of the Arab League represent countries, with the exception of Lebanon, which all have Islamic religious law, Sharia, as the source of their constitution. Islamic law: Today in 2002, all Arab sta- tes, except Lebanon, have sharia as the only source of their legal system. This ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS LAW conditions the life of the country, of the families, of the people, and therefore permeates the Islamic countries, the Arab Muslim immi- grant and the Islamic centres in Italy whe- re they aggregate. It should be noted that, according to the Koran, men are divided into three categories: Muslims, the people in the book, that is, Jews and Christians, and in the third group there are the others. In some re- spects, the legal situation of non-Muslims is not the same as that of their Muslim fel- low citizens. In fact, the laws concerning personal sta- tus in Arab countries, laws that regulate social life among individuals, are different from the rules in force in Europe and Italy. I will mention some critical knots of these differences, as they could make us under- stand the differences in reaction and atti- tude of the newcomer Arab Muslim immi- grant: the most striking points of contrast with Western culture concern: the divine source of Koranic law, freedom of religious choice, equality among citizens, and wo- men's rights. Of Sharia law, Arab coun- tries apply only the part concerning family, woman and succession. Saudi Arabia and Sudan are exceptions as they apply it in full in all areas. Afghanistan and Iran are Mu- slim countries but are not considered Arab countries. Mosques That said, the Madrasses or mada'ress, places of Koranic teaching next to Mo- sques, often continue to teach a traditio- nalist Islam that conceives the Western way of life (aka Christian) as contrary to Islam and therefore proposes a West to Islamise. The consequences on the beha- viour of millions of people are foresee- able. The Moslem Brotherhood, very ramified in the mada'ress, aim at the establish- ment of a state founded on the Koran and the Sharia, while in Europe, they try to obtain the recognition of a legal status on a confessional basis to be applied to the Islamic community and which is as close as possible to the Sharia. The anti-Western mentality is very wide- spread among Muslims and continues to be cultivated by blaming the anointed sta- tes (West, Christian world) for their eco- nomic and technological backwardness and the support given to the constitution of the state of Israel.