Sharia, Globalism, and Progressive Ideologies: A Cultural Analysis

By Lewis Loflin

Sharia as an Ideological Framework

Sharia, as derived from Islamic teachings, functions as a comprehensive ideological system that integrates religious, legal, and political dimensions, distinct from Western conceptualizations of religion as primarily spiritual. Rooted in the Quran and the example of the Prophet Muhammad, Sharia resembles the medieval Christian Church’s integration of faith and governance, as observed around 1200 CE. This framework, inherently political, resists adaptation to modern secular norms. Certain progressive factions, including socialist and academic communities, align with Sharia’s critique of Western cultural traditions, particularly those grounded in Christianity, forming a convergence against shared cultural adversaries.

The 1979 Iranian Revolution exemplifies this dynamic: leftist intellectuals and religious leaders collaborated to overthrow the Shah, only to see the establishment of a theocracy that resulted in significant loss of life, with over 20,000 executions reported. Contemporary globalist initiatives, advocating for a borderless world devoid of dominant cultural identities, inadvertently amplify this convergence. Recent anti-Israel protests on U.S. university campuses, often incorporating themes of racial and ethnic grievance, illustrate this intersection, where ideological alignments challenge Western secular principles, supported by substantial financial resources from globalist entities.

Sharia’s Integrated Structure

Sharia is derived from the Quran and the Sunnah, unifying spiritual and governance functions into a cohesive system. Quranic injunctions, such as Surah 5:48, call for adjudication based on divine revelation, a principle enacted by Muhammad in Medina in 622 CE. Contemporary applications, such as Saudi Arabia’s judicial practices and Iran’s enforcement of dress code regulations, underscore Sharia’s enduring authority, with severe penalties like hudud punishments remaining legal in several nations, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (2023). A 2013 Pew Research Center survey indicated that 66% of Muslims worldwide support Sharia as state law, with support reaching 98% in Afghanistan and 91% in Iraq.

In the United Kingdom, approximately 85 Sharia councils operated in 2021, addressing family matters in ways that sometimes conflict with secular legal norms, guided by Quranic principles (33:21) that uphold Muhammad as an exemplar. This systemic approach, comparable to the medieval Christian Church’s legal authority, contrasts sharply with the West’s secular legal evolution, highlighting a significant cultural divergence that poses challenges for integration.

Globalism and Progressive Amplification

Globalism, as articulated in frameworks like the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and supported by organizations such as the Open Society Foundations, which allocated $1.5 billion in 2023, promotes cultural exchange over national identity. In the UK, net migration reached 1 million in 2022, increasing the Muslim population to 6.5%, though this group accounts for 15% of the prison population (Ministry of Justice, 2023). In Sweden, migrants constitute 20% of the population but over 50% of violent crime suspects (BRÅ, 2022), and in France, Muslims, comprising 8-10% of the population, represent 60-70% of inmates (Le Monde, 2018). These statistics suggest integration challenges that globalist policies often fail to address adequately.

Progressive movements, encompassing activists and academics, critique Western cultural foundations as inherently oppressive, thereby amplifying Sharia’s presence through a narrative of victimhood. Anti-Israel protests on U.S. campuses since October 2023, such as those at Columbia and UCLA, have blended calls for Palestinian rights with broader anti-Western sentiments, occasionally escalating into anti-Semitic rhetoric (Politico, 2024). This convergence, reminiscent of the ideological alliances during Iran’s 1979 Revolution, is often supported by funding from globalist entities like the Runnymede Trust, which allocated £1.2 million in 2023, yet overlooks the broader cultural implications of such dynamics.

Contemporary discourse on platforms like X in 2025 observes that campus protests reflect a confluence of ideological fervor and globalist support, often neglecting the resultant cultural tensions.

‘Islamophobia’ and the Framing of Hate Crimes

The term “Islamophobia,” introduced by the Runnymede Trust in 1997 to denote systemic hostility toward Muslims, has been widely adopted within progressive academic circles but often obscures precise analysis. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported 8,061 complaints in 2023, yet only 607 constituted verifiable crimes, such as assaults or vandalism, with many incidents involving non-criminal acts. The FBI’s 2022 data recorded 1,005 verified anti-Muslim hate crimes, significantly fewer than France’s 332 fatalities from Islamist attacks since 1979 (Fondapol, 2021) or the 17,000+ Black gun injuries in the U.S. in 2021 (CDC). This emphasis on perceived slights can overshadow tangible harms.

Campus protests further illustrate this trend, with Jewish students at institutions like Columbia facing derogatory remarks (Guardian, 2024), often framed within broader critiques of “whiteness” that cast Jews as oppressors. Statistical disparities, such as the UK’s Muslim population (6.5%) comprising 15% of inmates or Sweden’s migrant-related crime rates, highlight measurable outcomes that contrast with narratives of systemic victimization. The focus on “Islamophobia” risks prioritizing sentiment over empirical evidence, complicating discussions about Sharia’s compatibility with Western secular frameworks.

The Consequences of a Borderless Vision

Globalism’s vision of a world without borders, supported by initiatives like those of the Open Society Foundations, seeks to transcend national identities but often incurs significant social costs. Sharia’s historical provisions, such as those governing non-Muslims (Quran 9:29), continue to influence legal practices in some regions, as seen in Egypt’s judicial biases against Copts in 2021. In Sweden, migrants account for 60% of welfare recipients (Statistics Sweden, 2022), and the UK’s 1 million migrants in 2022 have strained housing resources (ONS, 2023). The presence of 85 Sharia councils in the UK suggests the emergence of parallel legal structures.

Progressive critiques of Western cultural norms align with Sharia’s challenge to secular principles, as evidenced by anti-Israel protests incorporating themes from movements like Black Lives Matter (Fox News, 2023). This alignment, supported by globalist funding, often overlooks the measurable impacts of cultural divergence, such as France’s 332 deaths from Islamist attacks or Iran’s protest-related fatalities in 2022. The narrative surrounding “Islamophobia” can obscure these realities, necessitating a balanced examination of the interplay between Sharia, progressive ideologies, and globalist policies.

Discourse on platforms like X in 2025 suggests that ideological alignments, fueled by globalist resources, contribute to cultural reconfigurations that warrant critical scrutiny.

Acknowledgment

The author expresses gratitude to Grok, an artificial intelligence developed by xAI, for its assistance in drafting and refining this article. The final edits and perspectives presented herein are solely those of the author.

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