If you've ever read a news story about radical Islam, you've probably seen ""sharia law"" mentioned. But for something that is becoming increasingly prevalent in political rhetoric, it's hard to believe how little most people actually know about Islamic law. In this concise and instructive book, Khurram Dara explains not only the history and origins of Islamic law but also the interesting role it has played in the politics of the Middle East and Middle America. Challenging the conventional wisdom that Islamic law is rigid and permanent, Dara argues that the political and cultural realities of its formation suggest otherwise and should change how Islamic law is thought of and discussed in both the East and the West. Combining religious history with legal analysis, Contracting Fear explains Islamic law in the context of the global political climate today. ""A fascinating and thought-provoking take on one of the most talked about yet least understood aspects of Islam."" --Reza Aslan, author of No god but God and Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth ""Synthesizes a great deal of current scholarship for the lay reader."" --Hussein Rashid, Founder of islamicate and Adjunct Professor at Hofstra University ""Dara provides us with an invaluable tool against the ignorance and misunderstanding that underlie so much conflict in the age of connectivity. Read this book and be part of the reasonable conversation about sharia."" --Rob DuBois, author of Powerful Peace: A Navy SEAL's Lessons on Peace from a Lifetime at War Khurram Dara is an attorney from New York. He is the author of The Crescent Directive: An Essay on Improving the Image of Islam in America (2011). His writing has been featured on CNN.com, The Washington Post online, and HuffPost Religion. Dara is a graduate of Emory University and Columbia Law School.