Sitting on the floor of his lounge room in Khoms, an hour's drive from the capital, Tripoli, Professor Fas - a leading scholar on Islam and a professor in the Faculty of Law in Tripoli - talks with ease about the new Libya. "Libya was Islamic before Gaddafi, during Gaddafi and after Gaddafi," he tells The Australian.
"Gaddafi said he supported sharia law as set out in the Koran but he was a liar. He did things that were not part of sharia."
The new Libyan leader, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, has announced that a return to sharia law will be one of his priorities. Mr Jalil said: "As an Islamic country, we adopt sharia as the principal law. Any law that violates sharia is null and void legally."
Professor Fas says the new government will abandon the veto Gaddafi granted a first wife over her husband having additional spouses. "Sharia says we do not need the approval of the first wife," Professor Fas says.
What do you say to the fact that under sharia law a woman is not equal? "The woman is not equal to the man in the body. The man cannot have children. They are not equal." » | JOHN LYONS | The Australian | Monday, November 07, 2011
