re: #321 CuriousLurker

As for the scary bits (like the cutting off of hands & such), Muslims living in non-Muslim lands are required to obey the laws of of the country in which they live, provided that the laws don’t require them to commit any sins (e.g. if there was a law that mandated that everyone eat pork and drink alcohol, then a Muslim would have a moral obligation to refuse to follow that law). Ironically, this means that the Sharia detailed in the 4 schools that orders American Muslims to respect American laws is the very same Sharia these people seek to criminalize.

The principal that you follow the law of the country in which you live is also enshrined in halacha. Dina d’malchut dina—the law of the land is the law.

Can you give me sources for its authority in Islam? This is a crucial issue, and I’d like to be better armed for discussion.