Is Sharia law actually in place in the US?

[QueenNocturne]

I think I've stated it before, but the Nocturne family is from Central Ohio (moved here when I was 11, and though I now go to school in another part of the state, Mom and DadNocturne still live there and I maintain my legal address there since at the moment I live in a school-owned apartment for the school year). The major paper for Central Ohio, the Columbus Dispatch, will occasionally run "Web-Only Letters" on their web-site. These are letters that didn't quite make the printed paper and are posted unedited. As you can expect, some of these letters make you want to smack your head against the wall.

Anyway, today we had a lovely gem about how the country was going to hell. Admist the gross spelling and grammatical errors, birther conspiracies and heaping helping of bigotry (multiculturalism is bad? really?), the writer apparently claims that Sharia law is in some of our states.

I've heard this from really far-right wackos (hi Sharron Angle!), but is there ANY truth to this statement? Or, as Captain No-Pants would say, is this man not burdened with an over-abundance of schooling?

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/ed ... ml?sid=101 This is the link--the letter in question is named "Gobble, gobble". It's short but guaranteed to make your eyes roll like never before.

[emmiedahl]

Well, let's see. Are people being beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam? Are women having fingers cut off for wearing polish? No? Then we are not living under Sharia law the way it is interpreted in much of the Middle East.

Our school doesn't serve pork anymore out of sensitivity to the 5 Muslim students. Is that Sharia? As a Jew I was a little happy about that.

[forever ago]

Wow, what an idiot.

Being that the Muslim population as compared to the general population is really tiny... No. Sharia law does not exist in the US. It is a waste of legislator time as a knee-jerk reaction to the events of September 11th, 2001.

In fact, we're in less danger of Sharia law than we are whatever the Jewish equivalent there is. And never mind the many Christians who'd like to turn this place into a theocracy all over again and deport all the heathens... probably to Canada.

[forever ago]

Well, let's see. Are people being beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam? Are women having fingers cut off for wearing polish? No? Then we are not living under Sharia law the way it is interpreted in much of the Middle East.

Our school doesn't serve pork anymore out of sensitivity to the 5 Muslim students. Is that Sharia? As a Jew I was a little happy about that.

Not Sharia, but still kinda overboard. Of course, I live in North Carolina where pork BBQ is everything...

I'm half-tempted to say "if you don't want pork don't eat it!" but then again, the school's serving all kind of other (unidentified) meat, so who's really going to miss pork? (Probably the kids who can't identify the other meat...)

I'm about to get on a rant about school food. Meanie. :(

[Lillybee]

This article may give a different version of Muslim faith.

With One Day Left, Muslim Hate Crime Victim Tries To Save His Shooter From Execution

By Tanya Somanader on Jul 19, 2011 at 11:35 am

Rais Bhuiyan and Mark Stroman

On September 21, 2001, a 41-year old white supremacist from Dallas walked into a gas station and opened fire on people he believed to be Arabs. Enraged by the 9/11 attacks, the shooter, Mark Anthony Stroman, killed an Indian man who was Hindu and a Pakistani man who was Muslim.

Rais Bhuiyan, a 37-year old Muslim Air Force pilot from Bangladesh, was Stroman’s third victim. Shot in the face at close range with a double-barrel gun, Bhuiyan survived the attack, suffering now from partial blindness. After admitting to the attacks, Stroman is scheduled to be executed tomorrow in Texas.

Bhuiyan, the lone survivor of Stroman’s attack, is now trying to save his life. After the attack, Bhuiyan told the New York Times that he spent his time “simply struggling to survive in this country.†But pulling on his profound capacity for forgiveness, he has spent the last several months petitioning Texas to spare Stroman’s life. When asked why, Bhuiyan said his Islamic faith taught him not to seek vengeance and that what Stroman “did was out of ignorance†about Islam:

Q Mr. Stroman has admitted trying to kill you. Why are you trying to save his life?

A I was raised very well by my parents and teachers. They raised me with good morals and strong faith. They taught me to put yourself in others’ shoes. Even if they hurt you, don’t take revenge. Forgive them. Move on. It will bring something good to you and them. My Islamic faith teaches me this too. He said he did this as an act of war and a lot of Americans wanted to do it but he had the courage to do it — to shoot Muslims. After it happened I was just simply struggling to survive in this country. I decided that forgiveness was not enough. That what he did was out of ignorance. I decided I had to do something to save this person’s life. That killing someone in Dallas is not an answer for what happened on Sept. 11.

Q If you had the chance to meet Mr. Stroman, what would you say to him?

A I requested a meeting with Mr. Stroman. I’m eagerly awaiting to see him in person and exchange ideas. I would talk about love and compassion. We all make mistakes. He’s another human being, like me. Hate the sin, not the sinner. It’s very important that I meet him to tell him I feel for him and I strongly believe he should get a second chance. That I never hated the U.S. He could educate a lot of people.

In response to Bhuiyan’s efforts, Stroman had this to say:

Q What do you think of Rais Bhuiyan’s efforts to keep you from being executed?

A “Yes, Mr Rais Bhuiyan, what an inspiring soul…for him to come forward after what ive done speaks Volume’s…and has really Touched My heart and the heart of Many others World Wide…Especially since for the last 10 years all we have heard about is How Evil the Islamic faith Can be…its proof that all are Not bad nor Evil.â€

Stroman’s realization stands in stark contrast — and as a strong rebuke — of the nation’s continuing descent into an Islamophobic age. Americans are living through a time when the existence of Islam in the U.S. is seen as an insidious infiltration of homegrown terror and the sight of anything or anyone Islamic sparks visceral paranoia and outrage. Instead of fighting this reactionary tide, conservative politicians are exploiting the right-wing hatred as a way to raise their profile. Be it through congressional hearings or campaign platforms, the marginalization of Americans because of their faith threatens our core values and cultivates the very attitudes that stoke those like Stroman to violence.

Bhuiyan’s “deep Islamic Beliefs Have gave him the strength to Forgive the Un-forgiveable…that is truly Inspiring to me, and should be an Example for us all. The Hate, has to stop, we are all in this world together,†said Stroman. “Its almost been 10 years since The world stopped Turning, and we as a nation will never be able to forget what we felt that day, I surely wont, but I can tell you what im feeling Today, and that’s very grateful for Rais Bhuiyan’s Efforts to save my life after I tried to end His.

I found this on the Think Progress site

[Guest Anonymous]

That article was very inspiring! But why are Stroman's quotes all...wonky. Random capital letters and apostrophes?

[Aurora]

Wow, what an amazing story.

[Lillybee]

That article was very inspiring! But why are Stroman's quotes all...wonky. Random capital letters and apostrophes?

My thought is that it was a written response from a not well educated man.

[doggie]

Herman Cain: Communities have right to ban mosques

BRUCE SCHREINER

Published: Jul 17, 2011 8:06 PM

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said Sunday that communities have a right to ban Islamic mosques.

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," the former Godfather's Pizza CEO said protests and legal challenges to a planned mosque in Tennessee city are an example of local residents pushing back.

Cain said his view doesn't amount to religious discrimination because he says Muslims are trying to inject Shariah law into the U.S.

Shariah is a set of core principles that most Muslims recognize and a series of rulings from religious scholars. It covers many areas of life and different sects have different versions and interpretations of the code.

Asked if his view could lead any community to stand up in opposition to a proposed mosque, Cain replied, "They could say that." He pointed to opposition to the planned mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn., as an example.

"Let's go back to the fundamental issue that the people are basically saying that they are objecting to," Cain said. "They are objecting to the fact that Islam is both religion and (a) set of laws, Shariah law. That's the difference between any one of our other traditional religions where it's just about religious purposes.

"The people in the community know best. And I happen to side with the people in the community."

Cain's comments were denounced as "unconstitutional and un-American" by a spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"It's clear that Herman Cain has decided that he will score political points every time he bashes the Muslim community or its constitutional rights," council spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said in a phone interview.

Cain previously stirred controversy by saying that he would not want a Muslim bent on killing Americans in his administration.

Campaigning in Murfreesboro last week, Cain sided with mosque opponents.

"I happen to also know that it's not just about a religious mosque," he said Sunday. "There are other things going on based upon talking to the people closest to the problem. It's not a mosque for religious purposes. This is what the people are objecting to."

Hooper called the remarks "utter nonsense," saying Cain "seems to have hitched his wagon to the most extreme anti-Muslim bigots out there." He called on Republican leaders to repudiate Cain's comments.

"Each time you have someone who is regarded as a mainstream political leader expressing these kind of hate-filled views, it just fans the flames of anti-Muslim bigotry nationwide," he said. "And it gives legitimacy to intolerance and hatred. And he, of all people, should realize this, being African-American."

In Murfreesboro, the future new mosque has been the subject of protests and counter-protests in the city about 35 miles southeast of Nashville.

Opponents have used the hearings to argue that the mosque is part of a plot to expand Islamic extremism in the U.S.

Imam Ossama Bahloul, the religious leader of the congregation, issued a statement Sunday lamenting Cain's statements.

"It is sad to hear these words coming from a GOP presidential candidate, who is not only supposed to believe in but should also uphold the US constitution," Bahloul said. "Mr. Cain is encouraged to educate himself about the first amendment and learn more about our peaceful and productive Muslim community in Murfreesboro."

Stephen Fotopulos, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, said Cain's comments "demonstrate a profound misunderstanding of the U.S. Constitution."

"And it's baffling that a man with designs on becoming the leader of this nation would so callously alienate over 3 million of its citizens," Fotopulos said.

___

Associated Press Writer Lucas L. Johnson II contributed to this report.

[DamnPrecious]

Well, let's see. Are people being beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam? Are women having fingers cut off for wearing polish? No? Then we are not living under Sharia law the way it is interpreted in much of the Middle East.

Our school doesn't serve pork anymore out of sensitivity to the 5 Muslim students. Is that Sharia? As a Jew I was a little happy about that.

I can't wait until school go vegan.

[mirele]

No, we don't have Sharia law in the USA, despite what "morans" like Herman Cain and the letter-writer say. Let me also say that I think Herman Cain is despicable. (If my sister ever comes across this, sorry, but your guy is nuts.)

We do, however, have various types of right wing Christians who are much more numerous and would love to impose their beliefs on the rest of us. I am much more concerned about them than some virtually nonexistent threat of Sharia law.

[forever ago]

Herman Cain seemed like a cool guy until he said all that shit about Muslims. I noticed my dad isn't so fond of him anymore.

I'm far more afraid of Michele Bachmann than I am my Muslim hallmates from Governor's School.

[GenerationCedarchip]

I'm pretty sure we'd hear about it if a state or locality tried to adopt sharia law. :doh:

There are some muslim communities in the US that try to practice sharia law from time to time(I've come across it in my practice), but it brings them into conflict with the authorities precisely because we don't officially have sharia law in this country. That's why, if you do things like ordering your sons to perform the honor killing of your daughter or you decide to throw acid on your wife to punish her unveiled immodesty, the courts will have something to say about it. Our local paper occasionally has letter to the editor bemoaning the rise of sharia law and it just makes me :evil:

[Deleted03]

Even in Ontario the sharia "tribunals" are just for matters related to family - like they are in Jewish similar arrangements. Not about beheading anyone. By the way, far from all of the countries wiht muslim majorities are as extremists as Saudi Arabia is.

[Terrie]

Okay, first you have to define Sharia law. It's Islamic religious law, which may, in some countries encompass public behavior, but also covers things like washing before prayer or dietary laws. Islam is no more monolithic in its interpretation than Christianity or Judaism, so there's different schools of Sharia law. So, really, there's no way to ban Sharia law without setting fire to the first amendment.

Now, as far as Sharia law being applied in the American courts, the only cases I've ever heard of have been within the context of divorce or similar situations, where the parties have gone to the judge and said "So, this is what we've agreed on." and the judge signed off on it. I have heard of arbitration done in compliance with Sharia law, but that's a private agreement between parties, not public law.

[QueenNocturne]

Thanks everyone, you confirmed what I was 99.9999999999999% sure of: this letter-writer is about as ignorant as one can be.

It kills me that, despite all evidence to the contrary, people in this country can still stubbornly hold on to idiotic views that we're in danger of being taken over by eeeviiil Muslims. We're way, way more in danger of being put under a Christian fundamentalist version of Sharia law, but you don't see these people freaking out about THAT.

[Chrystal-J]

I'm pretty sure we'd hear about it if a state or locality tried to adopt sharia law. :doh:

There are some muslim communities in the US that try to practice sharia law from time to time(I've come across it in my practice), but it brings them into conflict with the authorities precisely because we don't officially have sharia law in this country. That's why, if you do things like ordering your sons to perform the honor killing of your daughter or you decide to throw acid on your wife to punish her unveiled immodesty, the courts will have something to say about it. Our local paper occasionally has letter to the editor bemoaning the rise of sharia law and it just makes me :evil:

Yes, I've posted a couple of articles about "honor" killings or maimings here. In one case, a woman's nose was cut off by her father-in-law and he was never punished. It's a real situation and needs to be addressed more. Maybe they're not talked about much because women are the victims of this. As far as in the US, there are honor killings--the perpetrators just don't get away with it (because they can't by law). It's not the same in some other countries, sad to say. It makes me sick too.

[FaustianSlip]

Our school doesn't serve pork anymore out of sensitivity to the 5 Muslim students. Is that Sharia? As a Jew I was a little happy about that.

My only beef (ha ha, get it? Beef? Ahem) with that might be, depending on the number of Jewish kids in the school, why the school couldn't have done that on their behalf. Then again, maybe it was never brought up- squeaky wheel, and all.

I had some good friends in graduate school (still have- we keep in touch on Facebook) who are Muslim, from places like Tajikistan and Afghanistan. They knew about my Jewish inclinations, and we used to have really long, really good talks about Judaism and Islam, similarities and differences and so on. We mostly came to the conclusion that ultimately, Jews and Muslims probably have more in common, culturally and religiously, than Jews and Christians (certainly evangelical Christians) or Muslims and Christians, and that in general, moderately religious people have more in common with one another, regardless of religious denomination, than with extremists in their own religious group. I can certainly say that I have more in common with a moderate, mainstream Muslim in terms of my religious practice and my outlook on life than I do with a Haredi Jew living on a settlement or in Mea Sharim. Ditto Christians; I've got a hell of a lot more in common with your average Episcopalian than I do with Neturei Karta. The issues that tend to divide moderate Jews and moderate Muslims in particular are almost entirely political and ultimately have very little to do with religion (though with the way the State of Israel has been carrying on towards moderate Jewish denominations, I think some of this is starting to shift a bit).

Personally, I'm against religious extremism. It doesn't matter what religion it's coming from. I don't want, say, Satmar Hasidim having unilateral control over my life any more than I want the Quiverful people to have it. If anything, I get more pissed off when I see Jewish extremism, because I know the religion, I know it makes my belief system look ridiculous, and I know that if anything, Judaism has historically discouraged monolithic religious rulings and practices, in part for just this reason. I suspect most Muslims feel the same way, but being pissed is easier than figuring out what exactly to do about it, unfortunately. That's not to say that there are no Sharia-related incidents that happen in the U.S., but Sharia law is not taking over. Please. If anything, I bet the reasons that incidents like that are under reported is because the behavior of certain, so-called "Christian" elements in a lot of areas lend a siege mentality to the whole thing that discourages Muslims from coming forward, because who knows what kind of reception you'll get? I wouldn't want to go to my local police force, either, if I knew that the vast majority of people in my area were totally opposed to my culture and my religion, to the point that they supported torching my religious book and spray painting graffiti on my house of worship. Yeah, thanks, but no.

[Alecto]

Please, no one tell the fundies that our modern democracy and many of are laws are in part thanks to the Muslim scholars that preserved the great works of Greek philosophy when the Christians tried to destroy it.