"In fact, for most of its history, Islamic law offered the most liberal and humane legal principles available anywhere in the world," Harvard Law Professor Noah Feldman wrote for the New York Times Magazine. "One reason for the divergence between Western and Muslim views of Sharia is that we are not all using the word to mean the same thing. Although it is commonplace to use the word 'Sharia' and the phrase 'Islamic law' interchangeably. In fact, 'Sharia' is not the word traditionally used in Arabic to refer to the processes of Islamic legal reasoning or the rulings produced through it: that word is fiqh, meaning something like Islamic jurisprudence. Westerners typically imagine that Sharia advocates simply want to use the Quran as their legal code. But the reality is much more complicated," Professor Feldman concluded.

DEFINE: Distinguishes Sharia from fiqh, the actual Arabic term for Islamic legal reasoning and jurisprudence — a key terminological clarification.

DEFINE: Clarifies the crucial distinction between Sharia and fiqh, which conventional usage blurs.

Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Gl…, loc. 612