Wait, There’s More podcast: What is sharia law?

People on the far right are often focused on a single word: sharia.

You’ll see it on their protest signs and raised in their videos. The claim is that Muslim immigrants want to subject Canada and the U.S. to sharia law, which they associate with an oppressive and backwards culture.

Here in Canada, an Ipsos poll recently found that 30 per cent of people believe that Muslims follow sharia law instead of Canadian law.

READ MORE: Some Canadians still believe harmful stereotypes about Muslims and Jews, poll finds

And at least 14 U.S. states have actually passed laws that ban sharia in American courts, even though no U.S. court has ever ruled based on sharia.

On the Thursday episode of Wait, There’s More, host Tamara Khandaker speaks with human rights advocate Amira Elghawaby, who explains what sharia actually is and isn’t.