ABSTRACT
Sharia is a confusing concept for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Is sharia a divine law or is it a law built on divine sources? Are these two really one and the same thing? Is there any possibility of change within the framework of sharia or is it an unchangeable law valid for everybody until the end of humankind? These are questions activated by the process of social change in general and the migration situation in particular. In the Muslim world, social change has altered traditional gender and family patterns. In the non-Muslim world, Muslims in the diaspora are faced with new social structures which are challenging the foundations of traditional faith and practices.
