Is there another religious word that was once seemingly so esoteric but today causes such anxiety in American politics and culture than sharia? But for all talk about it, few people - both who identify as Muslim and do not - seem to know what it really is. We want to get a better understanding of what sharia is and is not, so we turn to American University teaching assistant professor Sara Omar. She recently completed her PhD in Islamic Studies at Harvard University.

Sara Omar, professorial lecturer on critical race, gender and culture studies at American University