The Narratives – Mohamed Miah

Mohamed Miah | The Narratives

They tell us it’s tyranny.

But to those who live it, it’s mercy.

For decades, Western politicians and media outlets have deliberately twisted the meaning of Sharia law. They present it as a threat — a dark, foreign system creeping into “their” societies — when in truth, it’s nothing more than what every faith already has: a moral and spiritual framework to guide believers in matters of ethics, justice, and conscience.

Catholics have Canon Law. Jews have Halakha. Hindus and Sikhs have Dharmic codes. Muslims have Sharia — a set of principles rooted in justice, mercy, and accountability before God.

In the West, Sharia is not a rival government. It is not a political system. It is not above the law of the land. It is a voluntary framework used for civil or personal matters — such as marriage, inheritance, and mediation — where Muslims seek a decision that aligns with both British law and divine guidance.

The idea that Muslims are secretly trying to impose Sharia on Europe or America is a fabrication. You cannot have a foreign legal system — Arab, Asian, or otherwise — running side by side with British, EU, or American law. That’s not how jurisdiction works. Everyone knows that. Yet the lie persists because fear wins votes.

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How the Lie Was Built

To understand how we got here, we must first understand history. The distortion of Sharia didn’t begin in the 21st century — it began during colonial rule.

When European powers occupied Muslim lands, they justified domination by portraying Islam as barbaric and outdated. Colonial officials rewrote local laws, stripped Sharia courts of authority, and told their citizens back home that they were “civilising” the natives.

In British India, for example, colonial administrators replaced centuries of Islamic jurisprudence with Western legal codes, calling it “modernisation.” The same script repeated itself in Egypt, Sudan, and North Africa — where Sharia was recast as the enemy of progress.

The idea of Sharia as something dark, oppressive, and anti-modern was born in that colonial imagination — and it never really went away.

Fast forward to the War on Terror, and the same narrative was recycled. After 9/11, “Islam” and “terrorism” became interchangeable in Western media. “Sharia law” became shorthand for extremism. Overnight, a word that means divine justice was twisted into something synonymous with violence and oppression.

Even in the 2010s, U.S. states passed “anti-Sharia” laws — despite the fact that Sharia has no legal standing in America. It was political theatre, feeding public paranoia while solving nothing. (The Guardian, 2017)

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Nigel Farage – Britain’s Fearmonger-in-Chief

Nigel Farage has long used Islam as a prop for his politics of division.

He once claimed there were “80 Sharia courts” operating in Britain — implying they had state power. (The Guardian, 2015)

The truth? A Home Office review found between 30 and 85 Sharia councils exist in England and Wales, but they are voluntary and non-binding. They cannot override British law. (Full Fact, 2018)

Farage also claimed that some UK “ghettos” were being run under Sharia, and that “a growing number of Muslims loathe British values.” (Sky News, 2024)

This is not only false — it’s dangerous. It paints millions of peaceful, law-abiding Muslims as enemies within, fuelling hatred and suspicion that spill over into real-world violence.

The poll he referenced — suggesting that “32% of Muslims support Sharia” — is regularly quoted out of context. Even if some Muslims say they desire Sharia, they’re not calling for a theocracy in Britain. They’re simply expressing the wish to live ethically by their faith, just as Christians, Jews, and others do.

Donald Trump – The Exporter of Fear

Across the Atlantic, Donald Trump built his political career on the same fearmongering blueprint.

In 2025, he told the UN General Assembly that “London now wants to go to Sharia law,” accusing Mayor Sadiq Khan of leading the city toward Islamic rule. (The Guardian, 2025)

Fact-checkers found this entirely false. There is no evidence — none — that Sharia law is being implemented or even considered in London. (Full Fact, 2025)

Trump also repeated a viral claim that he “fired a Muslim judge over Sharia law.” That story originated from a satirical website and was fully debunked by FactCheck.org (2019).

These lies don’t survive because they’re convincing — they survive because they serve a purpose. They tap into fear, identity, and ignorance.

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Why “Sharia” Sells

The word “Sharia” has become political currency. It’s used to provoke outrage, divide communities, and justify xenophobic policies. Politicians know that most people have never studied Islamic law — they only know what the tabloids and talk shows tell them.

Here’s the truth:

Sharia, in practice, covers personal ethics, family matters, and moral conduct. It has no jurisdictional power in Western nations. It is voluntary, non-binding, and always subject to the laws of the land.

Muslims who use Sharia councils do so out of faith — to satisfy their conscience before God — not to reject the British legal system. And yet, this act of devotion is constantly portrayed as rebellion.

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What the Media Won’t Admit

If the media were honest, they’d admit that the real “parallel system” in the West isn’t Sharia — it’s corporate law, lobbying, and the unspoken power of wealth that bends rules in favour of the elite.

No one panics when multinational corporations use private arbitration to settle disputes outside the courts. No one screams about Canon law when the Vatican deals with internal matters. But when Muslims do the same, suddenly it’s a threat to civilisation.

That double standard isn’t about law.

It’s about power — who gets to define what’s civilised and what’s barbaric.

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The Spiritual Truth

“We have sent down the Scripture with truth, that you may judge between people by what Allah has shown you.”

— Qur’an 4:105

Sharia, at its heart, is that search for justice — not dominance. It is a reminder that laws mean nothing without conscience, and that morality cannot be outsourced to politicians or pundits.

The powerful don’t fear Sharia because they misunderstand it.

They fear it because it demands that justice answer to something higher than them.

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© Mohamed Miah | The Narratives