Missouri House votes to ban Sharia law
(Stltoday). JEFFERSON CITY • A bill prohibiting state courts from using or recognizing Sharia law passed the Missouri House Wednesday on a 102-51 vote. The legislation, which was sponsored by state Rep. Paul Curtman, R-Pacific, bans Missouri courts from utilizing foreign law or legal code in any ruling.
Although it never specifically mentions the words “Sharia” or “Islam," Wednesday’s debate focused almost exclusively on Sharia law, which is the religious law of Islam. “This bill is not all about Sharia Law,” Curtman said. "It’s Sharia Law, French law, Dutch law or anything else.”
Since the beginning of 2009, numerous states have considered proposals to ban Sharia. During last year's elections, Oklahoma voters passed a referendum banning state courts from considering international or Islamic law. However, it was later blocked by a federal judge who said that the law was unconstitutional.Legislation similar to Curtman’s was introduced in the Missouri Senate by Republican Brian Nieves but has yet to gain traction.
The House bill picked up momentum earlier this session when House Speaker Steve Tilley threw his support behind it, saying “the laws of this country should trump any other laws regarding the citizens of our country within our borders."Speaking in opposition to the measure, State Rep. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, said she’d like to help educate Curtman on Sharia law.
“I truly believe you think you’re doing the right thing,” she said while talking to Curtman on the House floor, later adding: “I don’t think that you have ill intentions, so I would encourage you to become familiar with Sharia Law. I’d really like to sit down with you and we can study together and come to a better understanding of what Sharia Law is, how it works and what it does."
Last week, the inaugural Muslim Lobby Day was held at the Capitol, in part due to the anti-Sharia legislation introduced this year. Despite the criticism from Democrats, Curtman remained resolute that his legislation was needed.
“This bill is about one thing and one thing only, and that is to protect the fundamental rights that are guaranteed to our citizens under our founding documents, in the federal constitution and in our state constitution,” he said.
Read the full story here.
5 comments:
Every state should do this. I'd like someone to pass a law banning Biblical New Testament and Old Testament law and see where the legal challenges come from.
P,
Happy Easter day.. in Malaysia, it is celebrated as Good Friday holiday (today, April 22nd, 2011)..
Abdooss,
Well thanks I guess.
Silverfiddle,
That is an interesting question, and I kind of like to know the answer, of course it could be argued that the courts aren't supposed to follow religious laws, but I don't think the courts always do their job.
Libs love to confuse Biblical law with good old-fashioned Democracy. For instance, when Christians form coalitions in opposition to abortion, they are not promoting Biblical law, even if THEY think they are. They are promoting Democratic action. If they can get enough people to agree with them, then they have gotten a law voted in through the Democratic process. If it is turned down by our Supreme Court because it is not Constitutional, well, then that is just one of the checks in our Constitutional system, and I am thankful for that.
I have not seen a true concerted effort by Christians or Jews to subvert the Democratic process in favor of Biblical law, unless you want to count the Judge who insisted upon hanging the Ten Commandments in his Courtroom to be such an effort. In my book, that can not be counted as an effort to push Biblical law through an anti-Democratic process, unless one could prove he was giving people harsher sentences if they committed adultery or did not observe the Sabbath.
When people/Libs scream about the Christian Taliban trying to assert religious law in the USA, I always think to myself, I'd like those people to go live in Iran or Saudi Arabia, and see what living under such religious law is REALLY like.
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