By Anisa Noormohamed, The Huffington Post
As Americans, we value the separation of Church and State and indeed this separation is crucial to accommodate the many varied religious beliefs of the American people. We strive to serve as an example of democracy and women's rights but when analyzing the recent dialogue on abortion and contraception by Republicans one has to wonder if the intention is indeed to wage a war on women's rights and whether the Republicans are trying to convert America into a country governed by moral code and religious law.
When we think about countries governed by moral code or religious law, we naturally think of the Muslim countries. In most Muslim countries, Sharia law (Islamic canonical law) is often the basis for government or is used heavily in conjunction with State law. In the countries that adhere to one of four common schools of jurisprudential thought, abortion is outlawed after the soul enters the fetus -- at 120 days. The earliest discussions on the issue date back to the eleventh/twelfth century, when the eminent jurist Al-Ghazali gave his consent for withdrawal as a way to prevent pregnancy in order to save a woman's health and life, avoid financial hardship, or other domestic problems. While many Muslim countries outlaw abortions altogether today, reforms are underway to address the need to supply solutions to women who for different reasons wish to abort and at the same time enact laws that would not contradict Islamic principles. The Grand Mufti of Egypt Jad Al Haq used Al-Ghazali's teachings and by analogy, argued that modern methods of contraception were permissible.
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