Application of Islamic law by country

The following is a summary of the application of sharia (Islamic law) by country.

Since the early Islamic states of the eighth and ninth centuries, sharia always existed alongside other normative systems. Most Muslim-majority countries adopt various aspects of sharia. According to BBC, some countries adopt only a few aspects of Sharia, others apply the entire code.

Within sharia, some crimes are known as the hudud crimes, for which there are specific penalties specified by Islam. For example, according to some interpretations, adultery is punished by stoning, fornication and the consumption of alcohol by lashing, and theft by the amputation of limbs. Many predominately Muslim countries have not adopted hudud penalties in their criminal justice systems.Ali Mazrui stated that "most Muslim countries do not use traditional classical Islamic punishments". The harshest penalties are enforced with varying levels of consistency. The use of flogging is more common compared to punishments like amputations.

The adoption and demand for sharia in the legal system of nations with significant Muslim-minorities is an active topic of international debate. "The reintroduction of Sharia is a longstanding goal for Islamist movements in Muslim countries". Attempts to introduce or expand sharia have been accompanied by controversy, violence, and even warfare. Most countries of the world do not recognize sharia, albeit, more than 25% of countries do(source below in maps); however, some countries in Asia, Africa and Europe recognize sharia and use it as the basis for divorce, inheritance and other personal affairs of their Islamic population. And in countries where Islam is the predominant religion, Sharia is fully instituted, including laws governing punishment for sin against Allah and Islam - not just divorce, inheritance and personal affairs.

There are also a few countries that outright ban sharia law, or restrict it in some form or another. In Canada, sharia law is explicitly banned in Quebec, upheld by a unanimous vote against it in 2005 by the National Assembly , while the province of Ontario allows family law disputes to be arbitrated only under Ontario law.. In the United States, various states have "banned Sharia law", or passed some kind of ballot measure that "prohibits the states courts from considering foreign, international or religious law." As of 2014^[update] these include Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee..

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