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I may already have mentioned this somewhere, but Ch4 did a really interesting documentary recently, about the Qur'an. I think it's actually called Qur'an.
A really fascinating part of the documentary looked at what sharia actually is and the various potential interpretations of the law. It showed it in practice in a modern state setting (I can't remember which country), where private and domestic arrangements are governed through the sharia courts. So, we saw a sharia court making decisions on child maintenance, and whether or not a particular woman could divorce her husband (he'd withheld the fact he was infertile from her until after the marriage).
What was so interesting about this, was how ordinary it all was. The reception/office and waiting areas were busy with people going about very ordinary business, much like a magistrates court over here.
The way the Koran has been interpreted by some is vastly different in tone to the way it is interpreted by others. One interpretation calls for violent and merciless punishment for pretty much everything a human being can do 'wrong';, the other also keeps in mind the caveats that the Koran puts to each of those, that if the transgressor is truly repentant they should be forgiven.
Really, really interesting programme. I don't have access to youtube to see if its on there.
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