Muslims

GOP Unwittingly Sticks Up For Sharia

Sahil Kapur | February 28, 2012, 5:00PM

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), sponsor of the 'Stop Online Piracy Act.'

In their ongoing attempt to portray the Obama administration's birth control rule as infringing on religious freedom, House Republicans invited a Muslim witness to a hearing who pointed out that such a precedent could permit the government to make laws that violate Islamic code.

Asma Uddin, editor-in-chief of the Muslim-American website altmuslimah.com and an attorney at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, argued in her testimony Tuesday that the contraception mandate is a violation of the free exercise of religion under the First Amendment. Later, under questioning from House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), Uddin explained how the regulation's precedent could infringe upon the rights of Muslims.

"If the government mandated everything that had positive health benefits, it could possibly mandate that everyone drink red wine for heart health even though it violates the religious beliefs of Muslims," Uddin said.

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Pamela Geller

This Thanksgiving, Beware The Sharia Turkey

Jillian Rayfield | November 23, 2011, 5:35AM

You might think that when you buy a Butterball turkey this Thanksgiving you're as American as apple pie. But, you'd be wrong. In fact, you'd be the victim of a "stealth halal" conspiracy.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma: We Need To Specify Sharia Ban 'To Avoid Confusion'

Jillian Rayfield | September 14, 2011, 6:45AM

Lawyers for the state of Oklahoma this week appeared before the Tenth Circuit to argue for the state's Sharia law ban, which was approved by voters in a 2010 ballot initiative, but was blocked by a judge shortly thereafter.

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Pamela Geller

Pamela Geller: Rick Perry Needs To Address His Ties To Stealth Jihadists

Jillian Rayfield | August 17, 2011, 11:31AM

Pamela Geller, blogger for Atlas Shrugs

Anti-Islam blogger Pamela Geller has accused TX Gov. Rick Perry of being the pro-Sharia "Fifth Column" presidential candidate -- but still says she'd support him if she had to "with every breath of my body."

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Sharia

Somebody Defended Sharia In The Capitol Yesterday

Ryan J. Reilly | June 21, 2011, 10:57AM

A woman in a hijab expounded on the benefits of Sharia in the basement of a Capitol office building on Monday, and somehow society has yet to collapse.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) held a hearing on the threat that state-level anti-Sharia bill present to American democracy in a room in the basement of the House Rayburn building at noon.

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South Carolina

SC GOPer: 99% Of Recent Terrorist Acts Were Committed By Muslims

Jillian Rayfield | May 19, 2011, 11:59AM

State Sen. Mike Fair (R-SC)

South Carolina State Sen. Michael Fair (R) doesn't quite seem to know what his proposed sharia ban bill has to do with terrorism, but he does know that "ninety nine percent probably, of the acts of terrorism around the world" have "occurred at the hands of Middle Eastern men who happen to be advocates of the Islam religion."

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Missouri

Missouri U.S. Attorney: Feds Could Challenge Sharia Ban

Jillian Rayfield | April 29, 2011, 4:17PM

A U.S. Attorney in Missouri hinted that if the state passes a law banning Sharia law, the Department of Justice could challenge it in court.

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North Carolina

North Carolina GOPers Get In On The 'Sharia Ban' Game

Jillian Rayfield | April 28, 2011, 10:34AM

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have introduced a bill to ban the use of "foreign law" in courts, joining a growing number of states that are apparently fearful of Sharia law taking hold in the U.S.

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Terry Jones

Quran-Burning Pastor's Gun Accidentally Goes Off In Michigan

Eric Lach | April 22, 2011, 9:55AM

Dr. Terry Jones, leader of the Dove World Outreach Center

Just when you thought the sad saga of Quran-burning Florida pastor Terry Jones couldn't get more absurd...

According to Southfield, Michigan police, Jones' .40-caliber handgun fired accidentally as he was leaving a television studio there on Thursday night. This is presumably the same handgun he said he intended to bring to his planned anti-sharia law protest in Dearborn, Michigan on Friday, though he's said he's come to Dearborn "totally in peace."

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Sharia

Missouri House Passes Ban On Sharia Law

Jillian Rayfield | April 21, 2011, 10:22AM

The Missouri House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would stop the courts from considering Sharia law, or any other "foreign law, legal code, or system" when ruling on cases.

The bill, which was introduced back in March, passed by a vote of 102-51.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Anti-Sharia Efforts Thwarted Again As Bill Dies In State Senate

Jillian Rayfield | April 12, 2011, 4:35PM

Oklahoma's dreams of being sharia-free have once again been shut down.

A bill to ban foreign law from being considered in state courts has been denied a hearing by the Senate Rules Committee Monday, effectively killing the bill for the rest of the year. This decision by the committee comes just a few months after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction to block provisions of a November ballot measure that would have done the same.

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CIA

Was Raymond Davis Bailed Out By Sharia Law?

Eric Lach | March 16, 2011, 9:58AM

Raymond Davis

The diplomatic standoff over CIA contractor Raymond Davis ended on Wednesday, after a Pakistani court acquitted and released Davis, who had been held for almost 2 months after shooting two men dead on the streets of Lahore. But the resolution came only after a deal was reached to pay the victims' families what the Punjab Law Minister called "blood money" -- in accordance with Islamic law.

In other words, Davis may have been bailed out by sharia.

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Sharia

Alabama Proposes Constitutional Amendment To Ban Sharia Law In Courts

Melissa Jeltsen | March 4, 2011, 2:10PM

State Sen. Gerald Allen (R)

It's been a busy few weeks for Sharia-fearing Americans. Tennessee recently introduced a bill that would ban the practice of Sharia - and perhaps by extension, the practice of Islam itself. Elsewhere, anti-Sharia groups battled for supremacy outside the White House, and Missouri filed legislation to outlaw the use of Sharia law in its courts. Now, it appears Alabama is getting into the game.

State Sen. Gerald Allen (R ) has introduced a constitutional amendment, SB 62, that would forbid the use of Islamic law in the state's courts.

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Sharia

Anti-Muslim Protestor Throws Crosses At Feet Of Man Praying By White House (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | March 3, 2011, 2:30PM

A group of anti-Sharia protestors who planned to counter-protest the planned pro-Sharia rally by the radical provocateur Anjem Choudary in front of the White House on Thursday found themselves without an opponent to debate.

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Sharia

Show-Me State Says "Me Too" On Sharia Court Ban

Melissa Jeltsen | March 2, 2011, 3:47PM

Missouri is now the latest state seeking to ban its courts from consulting Sharia law. A bill introduced on Tuesday by State Rep. Paul Curtman (R) would bar courts from taking any foreign law, legal code or system into consideration when deciding cases.

From the bill:

Any court, arbitration, tribunal, or administrative agency ruling or decision violates the public policy of this state and shall be void and unenforceable if such court, arbitration, tribunal, or administrative agency bases its rulings or decisions in the matter at issue in whole or in part on any law, legal code, or system that would not grant the parties affected by the ruling or decision the same fundamental liberties, rights, and privileges granted under the constitutions of this state and the United States.

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Sharia

Tennessee Jumps on the Anti-Sharia Bandwagon

Melissa Jeltsen | February 24, 2011, 4:48PM

Tenn. State Sen. Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro)

Refraining from eating pork? Giving alms to the poor? These could become criminal activities in Tennessee, where a proposed law would make adherence to Sharia -- or Islamic law -- illegal and punishable with jail time.

While a number of other states have filed legislation seeking to keep Sharia out of the courts, Tennessee is going one giant step further by attempting to outlaw it entirely.

Senate Bill 1028, introduced by State Sen. Bill Ketron, gives the state Attorney General authority to designate "Sharia organizations," defined as "two (2) or more persons conspiring to support, or acting in concert in support of, sharia or in furtherance of the imposition of sharia within any state or territory of the United States." Anyone who provides material support or resources to a designated Sharia organization could be charged with a felony and face up to 15 years in jail.

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Sharia

House Representative Compares Muslim Brotherhood To Jeffrey Dahmer

Ryan J. Reilly | February 10, 2011, 1:45PM

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY)

As reports of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's imminent departure from office were breaking on Thursday, concern about the Muslim Brotherhood, and the perceived threat it poses, was dominating the discussion at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Egypt.

"Engaging the Muslim Brotherhood must not be on the table," Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) said.

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Sharia

Anti-Sharia Bill Introduced In Georgia

Eric Lach | February 10, 2011, 11:50AM

Republican lawmakers in Georgia have Sharia on their minds.

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Sharia

South Carolina Lawmakers Hop On The Sharia Ban Bandwagon

Eric Lach | January 31, 2011, 8:32AM

Lawmakers in South Carolina have introduced a bill that would "prevent a court or other enforcement authority from enforcing foreign law in this state." This effectively makes South Carolina the latest state to consider legislation that would ban sharia law, though one of the bill's sponsors insists its more than that.

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Sharia

Wyoming Will Try To Outlaw Sharia Too

Rachel Slajda | January 26, 2011, 8:53AM

Last year, Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that would prohibit judges from consulting sharia law in their decisions. A federal judge promptly blocked the ban, saying the case goes "to the very foundation of our country."

But that's not going to stop one Wyoming lawmaker from trying for a repeat.

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Frank Gaffney

Frank Gaffney And CPAC's Alleged Muslim 'Infiltrator' Face Off (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | January 21, 2011, 9:32AM

Suhail Khan and Frank Gaffney

Anderson Cooper, the master of the TV match-up, had on both terrorism "expert" and sharia alarmist Frank Gaffney and Suhail Khan, a board member of the Amercian Conservative Union whom Gaffney has accused of being an operative of Muslim jihadists.

Earlier this month, Gaffney took to World Net Daily to accuse Khan, a Republican who served in the second Bush administration, of being a jihadist infiltrator to the Conservative Political Action Conference. Gaffney said Khan was an operative of the Muslim Brotherhood, a catch-all group that no longer operates in the United States, but which Gaffney and others connect to prominent Muslim groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Muslims For America.

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Leo Berman

Birther Texas Rep. Pushes 'Religious Or Cultural Law' (Read: Sharia) Ban

Jillian Rayfield | January 14, 2011, 8:34AM

Rep. Leo Berman (R-TX)

Texas state Rep. Leo Berman (R), last seen getting shellacked by Anderson Cooper over his birther bill, is pushing a state constitutional amendment that would prevent Texas courts from considering "religious or cultural law" when handing down rulings.

Though the amendment doesn't specifically say anything about sharia law -- like a recently-blocked law in Oklahoma does, for example -- Berman said of the resolution: "A lot of federal courts are referring to international courts and laws of other countries. We want to make sure our courts are not doing this, especially in regards to cultural laws. If that includes Sharia law, then so be it."

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Keith Ellison

Christian Minister: Muslim Congressman's Support Of 'Homosexuals' Is Part Of Sharia Plot

Ryan J. Reilly | December 2, 2010, 10:38AM

Radio host Bradlee Dean and Keith Ellison (D-MN)

A Christian minister in Minnesota said on his radio program that the nation's first Muslim member of Congress was soliciting the support of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to implement Sharia law. Follow his logic with us, wouldn't you?

Bradlee Dean of the religious ministry You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International said on his radio program that Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) is only supporting LGBT rights as part of a strategy to bring Sharia law to the United States, the Minnesota Independent reported.

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Oklahoma

Judge Blocks Okla. Sharia Ban: Case Goes To 'Very Foundation Of Our Country'

Rachel Slajda | November 29, 2010, 5:26PM

CAIR Oklahoma Director Muneer Awad

A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction against Oklahoma's so-called "Sharia ban," saying the case goes "to the very foundation of our country, our Constitution, and particularly, the Bill of Rights."

Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange, who presides over a federal court in the western district of Oklahoma, ruled that a CAIR official suing to block the law will likely succeed in his efforts.

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Oklahoma

Why American Indians Are Watching The Fate Of The Oklahoma Sharia Ban

Rachel Slajda | November 26, 2010, 9:18AM

So far, the outrage over the so-called Sharia ban Oklahoma voters approved this month has focused on the freedom of religion of the state's Muslim residents, culminating in a lawsuit by a CAIR official that has successfully stalled the law from going into effect.

But there's another minority the ban could affect: American Indians.

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Oklahoma

Restraining Order Against Okla. Sharia Ban Extended While Judge Deliberates

Rachel Slajda | November 22, 2010, 2:28PM

CAIR Oklahoma Director Muneer Awad

A federal judge in Oklahoma today extended a restraining order that will prevent a so-called "Sharia ban" from going into effect for another week.

On Election Day, Oklahoma voters overwhelming approved a ballot question that would amend the state constitution, banning state courts from considering Sharia or international law. Muneer Awad, director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, then filed a lawsuit claiming the law violates his First Amendment rights and could prevent his will, which relies heavily on Islamic teachings, from being carried out. Awad is asking that the court permanently blocks the amendment from going into effect.

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Sharia

Feds Bust Alleged Sharia Ponzi Scheme In Chicago

Rachel Slajda | November 19, 2010, 8:40AM

Three men have been indicted for allegedly running a Ponzi scheme and stealing $43 million from investors who thought they were putting their money in a Sharia-compliant investment strategy.

According to federal officials, the men ran a firm called Sunrise Equities and told Pakistani-American investors and banks in Chicago that their money would go exclusively into real estate development. Earning interest is prohibited under Sharia, or Islamic law, and observant Muslims cannot invest in financial products that earn interest.

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Sharia

Female-Only Swim Hour For Muslim Students Sparks Debate At GW

Rachel Slajda | November 11, 2010, 12:09PM

Get out of the pool! It's filled with Sharia!

At George Washington University, the Muslims Students Association this year successfully lobbied to create a weekly women-only swim hour at the pool. Once a week, a dark tarp is hung over the glass door, a female lifeguard watches the pool and only female swimmers are allowed in.

The program, called "Sisters Splash," went unnoticed by the larger GWU community -- until the school paper wrote about it.

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Oklahoma

Dana Perino: 'Sharia Law Allows For Stoning And Spousal Abuse' (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | November 9, 2010, 9:32AM

While guest hosting Fox and Friends this morning, former White House press secretary Dana Perino did a short news break on the Oklahoma Sharia ban, helpfully describing Islamic law for viewers:

"Sharia law allows for stoning and spousal abuse," she said.

Watch:

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CAIR

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Oklahoma's Sharia Ban

Rachel Slajda | November 8, 2010, 3:19PM

A federal judge has granted a temporary restraining order against an amendment to the Oklahoma constitution that would prohibit courts from considering Sharia or international law.

The Sharia ban passed as a ballot measure in last week's election, in a vote of 70 percent to 30 percent. Without the injunction, which bars the state board of elections from certifying the results, the amendment was expected to go into effect tomorrow.

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Oklahoma

CAIR Member Sues Oklahoma Over Sharia Ban

Rachel Slajda | November 5, 2010, 5:06PM

Oklahoma Rep. Rex Duncan (R)

Days after Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to prohibit its courts from considering Sharia or international law, CAIR's Oklahoma director filed a lawsuit asking for an injunction against the law.

Muneer Awad, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Oklahoma chapter, filed suit against the Oklahoma Board of Elections in federal court on Thursday. In the suit, he alleges the law both violates the First Amendment and harms his family's ability to carry out his will after he dies.

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Sharia

Jihad Alarmism Proves Lucrative For Leading Anti-Muslim Advocate

Rachel Slajda | October 25, 2010, 10:19AM

Steve Emerson

The Tennessean, which has been covering the controversy surrounding a proposed mosque near Murfreesboro, Tenn., came out with a long story this weekend about the money in the "anti-jihad" industry.

Most interesting is how Steve Emerson, a self-proclaimed expert on Sharia law, has set up his charity and his for-profit enterprise.

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Sharia

Fox's Pro-Williams Muslim 'Expert' Believes Most Muslims Want To Impose Sharia

Rachel Slajda | October 22, 2010, 12:55PM

Fox News, as part of their extensive coverage of the Juan Williams controversy, today lamented that "so much of this debate has excluded the opinion of the Muslim community" before turning to a Muslim --who publicly accuses 80 percent of American mosques of being radical and anti-American -- to respond.

M. Zuhdi Jasser, a Muslim physician who advocates the de-politicization of Islam, said he wasn't offended by Williams' remarks that he gets nervous whenever he sees Muslims on a plane. NPR fired Williams for the comment and Fox News immediately hired him to a $2 million contract, touching off a debate over whether what Williams said is bigoted and therefore a fireable offense.

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

TN Mosque Trial Continues: 'Your Honor, This Is A Circus'

Rachel Slajda | October 21, 2010, 9:46AM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

A hearing about a proposed mosque in middle Tennessee resumed yesterday, with a lawyer for the mosque's opponents claiming the mosque's leaders wanted to fly the "flag of Sharia" over the White House.

The mosque opponents, three local residents, sued Rutherford County, claiming officials violated open meeting law when approving the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro's site plan for an expanded mosque outside of Murfreesboro. The opponents want the court to stop construction.

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Sharia

Sound The Sharia Alarm! Campbell's Makes Halal Soups

Rachel Slajda | October 7, 2010, 3:11PM

Earlier this year, Campbell Canada introduced a line of halal-certified soups. The 15 soups comply with Islamic dietary regulations which, much like kosher regulations, prohibit certain foods and define the right way to slaughter animals.

The line, which includes low fat cream of broccoli and vegetarian vegetable, was certified by the Islamic Society of North America, which has been certifying halal foods since 1988.

To some people, that's just more evidence that Sharia is coming to North America -- this time, via the grocery store.

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Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney Ditches Mitt.ly After Libya Shuts Down Sex-Positive .ly Site

Rachel Slajda | October 6, 2010, 2:56PM

Mitt Romney

After the Libyan government shut down a "sex-positive" .ly site, probable presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R) says he is switching his PAC web site to more friendly domains.

"We're learning about this for the first time and taking steps to change the domain for our site," a spokesman told Politico's Ben Smith.

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Sharia

Sharia Law BEATDOWN? Libya Nixes 'Sex Positive' Bit.ly Competitor

Rachel Slajda | October 6, 2010, 1:27PM

The photo that appeared on vb.ly. Inset: Muammar al-Gaddafi.

Two bloggers who co-owned a "sex-positive" URL shortener at vb.ly say the Libyan domain authority, which registers ".ly" domains, has shut them down for violating "Islamic morality."

Violet Blue and Ben Metcalfe founded vb.ly last year to offer a URL shortening service that wouldn't screen out sexual, adult, and generally NSFW links. Other shorteners, such as bit.ly, do.

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Frank Gaffney

Gaffney On CNN: Mosques Want 'To Destroy Western Civilization From Within' (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | September 29, 2010, 9:44AM

Anderson Cooper interviewing Frank Gaffney on CNN.

After testifying at a hearing about a proposed mosque in Tennessee, Sharia law "expert" Frank Gaffney went on Anderson Cooper last night to explain why, exactly, the mosque could be another victory for radical American Muslims who want to destroy the United States from within.

Imams' agenda to impose Sharia law "ultimately winds up becoming a cancer inside a society," Gaffney claimed. "No-go zones are typically associated with it where the authorities dare not go. Sharia law is practiced in those no-go zones. They are expanded in due course. And ultimately, you have the groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, with whom many of these mosques and for that matter, Muslim-American organizations of any note, are associated, pursuing a mission that we know, from evidence introduced into another federal trial, is to destroy western civilization from within. That's really worrying."

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Frank Gaffney

TN Mosque Opponents Bring In National Sharia 'Expert' Frank Gaffney

Rachel Slajda | September 28, 2010, 1:56PM

Frank Gaffney, CEO and founder of the Center for Security Policy.

The opponents of a proposed mosque near Murfreesboro, Tenn., have brought in prominent Sharia law fearmonger Frank Gaffney to help them stop the project in court.

Gaffney, who has been warning about the supposed threat to the Constitution from Sharia for years, was the only witness in the first day of hearings in a lawsuit filed by a handful of opponents to the mosque. They're trying to convince a judge to file an injunction against the mosque's construction, on the grounds the public officials violated open meeting law when approving the project.

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Mosques

The War On Sharia Started Long Before You Ever Heard 'Ground Zero Mosque'

Rachel Slajda | September 23, 2010, 9:07AM

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA)

Robert Spencer, the author of JihadWatch.org, says he first became aware of the threat of Sharia "after seeing repeated attempts to assert the primacy of Islamic law over American law." One of those early attempts, he told TPMmuckraker, came in late 2006, when Muslim cab drivers in Minnesota made news by refusing to take passengers carrying alcohol. The incidents resulted in the cabbies going to the back of the queue, letting passengers with booze get into another cab.

Spencer has been one of a handful of neocons -- along with Frank Gaffney and Daniel Pipes, among others -- who have been sounding the alarm about Sharia law for years. They warn that Sharia, a system of laws defined by the Koran, is taking hold in the United States, and that it will eventually threaten the very Constitution.

Their warnings, so long spoken from the fringe, are now at the heart of today's anti-mosque rhetoric.

We started digging in the archives to find the origin of this fear. What we found may not be conclusive, but it shows a path that has lead to increasingly mainstream figures, like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, calling for a federal ban on Sharia law.

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