Background/History of the Ban of Sharia Law

So, last week I got a little excited and covered quite a bit of this week’s assignment in my previous blog. I’ll just try to add some additional sources and information.  Also, I’m thinking of including the possibility of establishing Sharia courts similar to those currently functioning in Britain to my paper. This would be a possible solution, but that’s for a later blog! I just needed to note it to remind myself. J

I wanted to include this excerpt from an ABC News article, because it is almost exactly how I felt last week when I was reading up on the proposed ban of Shariah.  

‘Charles Haynes, a senior scholar with the Nashville-based First Amendment Center, said the legislation defines Shariah in a harsh way that "only a very small minority of Muslims would agree with. It's an attempt to demonize an entire religion because of how some radical Islamists interpret Shariah. It's wrong-headed and unconstitutional," he said. He added that the law also is unnecessary: "If there were Muslims in the U.S. that interpreted Shariah law in some extreme way, they already are prohibited from violating our laws. There is no need for special legislation to prohibit people from being violent."’

Many proponents of the bill say it is necessary to prevent “homegrown terror”. The bill labels those who follow Sharia as “treasonous”.  I find this statement completely ridiculous. Sharia Law includes such things as when to wash one’s feet or pray, as well as not to steal. Also, to my knowledge, there has not been a situation of Sharia Law being carried out in an extreme way within the US. During the 1500’s, the first Islamic immigrants arrived in the United States. So, we’re proposing to ban something that has been in practice for 500 years, yet has offered no offense?

There was a program on CNN last night about the current Sharia Law situation. I didn’t catch the woman’s name, but she stated that the only solution would be for all of the Muslims currently living within the US to assimilate into Western culture.  Do people realize that all of our ancestors immigrated to this country for the possibility of a future of freedom? Who are we to call for assimilation? This country was founded on the fundamentals of freedom, yet some people seem to forget that. I think the problem definitely lies in the media. On a daily basis, we’re only shown the bad side of Islam; the individuals who are extremist. So, it’s engrained into the American mind that all of Islam is the same, that “they’re all out to get us”. When truth be told, most of the Muslims practicing within the US wouldn’t even consider these individuals true Muslims, because of their radical actions. It’s truly the Mark of the Plural at its best.

Tennessee isn’t the only state proposing a ban of Sharia Law. More than a dozen states are also considering taking similar action, including Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. The particular action varies from outlawing the use within the court system to making practicing Sharia Law, in any way, a felony.

Oklahoma was the first state to suggest a bill to guard against the non-existent threat of Sharia law. U.S. District Court Judge Vicki Miles-LeGrange ruled that the measure, which passed by a large margin in an election, would be suspended until a hearing on Nov. 22, when she will listen to arguments on whether the court's temporary injunction should become permanent.