Liberal Forum

U. S. Senate Candidate Richard Mourdock's View Of Rape As A Gift Of God, Echoes Islamic (Sharia) Law Mourdocks position appears to reflect a theology of predestination, that events in this world are preordained as Gods will. As he later explained, God does not will sin or rape, which is a human choice. But he does will that life come into existence, so that a conception occurs in rape is divine will even if the rapists action is not. Mourdocks position is also taken by some Muslim religious scholars who interpret Islamic law or Sharia:I believe that the value of life is the same whether this embryo is the result of fornication with relatives or non-relatives or valid marriage. In Sharia life has the same value in all cases. Sheikh M. A. Al-Salami, Third Symposium on Medical JurisprudenceThe problem with Mourdocks position, which is shared by some advocates of Islamic Sharia, is that it is a theological one. That this is so is obvious in Sheikh Al-Salamas fatwa, just as it is obvious in Mourdocks diction. Ironically, US evangelicals who have attempted to pass laws in state legislatures forbidding the use of sharia or Islamic law in the American system would in this case be disallowing Sheikh Al-Salamis position, which is identical to that of Mourdock. But apparently it is all right with them if Christian Sharia is imposed on us all.