Monday, April 18, 2011

"A Solution in Search of a Problem"

Honestly, it's hard to say what the solution for a nonexistent problem is. While some states, like Tennessee, have been proposing very broadly stated laws that could be interpreted as an outlaw of Sharia Law practice period, others have been less severe but still equally ignorant. Some states, like Wisconsin, proposed these bans to keep US court rulings from considering Islamic tenets in cases involving honor killings or arranged marriages. Not only has situations of a judge considering religious law yet to arise in our court systems, but there is already a law that prohibits U.S. officials from imposing religious rules on Americans through legislation or court orders. It's called the First Amendment! All in all, this entire situation seems like a solution in search of a problem. The fear of the Middle Eastern culture has driven government officials to Orientalism. They are merely addressing a problem that doesn’t exist.
            Though there have been reports of alleged honor killing in the US, I am unsure of whether or not this is the actual situation. It seems quite possible that the media is merely throwing the words “honor killing” around in a very orientalism like way. I am not saying that an honor killing has never taken place in the US, but one must consider that possibility that these situations are merely run of the mill crimes just like the many others that are committed every single day. The only difference being that this law breaker was Muslim. When a Western man murders his wife for cheating on him, is it an honor killing?  


            Though there are Sharia Law courts in Britain, I do not think that this is a solution for America. Once I have researched this more, I may change my mind, but it is unlikely.

2 comments:

  1. I am so excited to see how the rest of your presentation develops! As I have done my research on the Murfreesboro mosque, Sharia Law has come up quite a bit. It is really interesting to see how people automatically jump to the conclusion that it is going to take over if we have Muslim people in America. It just shows how orientalism stems from fear instead of sound reasoning and judgement.

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  2. You have a tough topic! How do you fight a law that isn't really a law? It seems like you would just have to fight the stereotypes and judgments, but really, how can you fight that nation-wide? Tough stuff, ma'am. But I know you can do it! Happy researching!

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