1) American actor and martial artist, Chuck Norris, is writing a three-part series for World Net Daily, on the threat of Islamic law. His first article, Holy Week, Holy Shariah, defines Shari’a, briefly discusses the use of Islamic law in Muslim-majority countries and lists examples on how it is already enabled in the United Sates, arguing:
In the end, it seems to me we have a choice to believe that Shariah law is, or is not, a pro-Islamic system of civic, religious, moral and social laws, which is being used to run other countries and governments but is not being (nor ever will be) invoked to run ours, based upon the belief that our constitutional republic and Bill of Rights is inferior.
2) An “anti-Shari’a” bill that would limit the use of foreign law in court has passed in the Missouri House. The bill is causing debate within the state, with Democrats arguing that the bill is a time and money-waster that would interfere with companies engaged in business overseas, and Republicans arguing that it is necessary to protect the constitutional rights of Missourians.
3)Several hundred Muslims and supporters showed up at the Nashville, Tennessee State Legislature to voice their opposition to an “anti-Shari’a law” bill and to hear testimony from bill supporters saying the bill would help Tennessee law enforcement stop terrorist plots.
4) An “anti-Shari’a” bill in Oklahoma will not be heard by a Senate committee. The Oklahoman reported that the controversial bill to prohibit foreign laws from being enforced in the courts passed the state House of Representatives but then languished in the Senate and is considered dead for this year.
5) In his special op-ed for CNN, Dean Obeidallah, an Arab-American comedian asks Why do Republicans love Sharia law? Obeidallah argues that Muslims in America are not the ones promoting the use of Islamic law and believes that Republicans have created a “sharia monster” for their own purposes:
If religious law — regardless if it is Muslim, Jewish or Christian — does not comport with the principles of U.S. law, our courts will not follow it. It’s that simple. This is a well-established principle of our American legal system — one that I would have hoped the Republican politicians would have been known.
6) The Herald Online reports that a group of senators spent more than an hour discussing the pros and cons of a bill that would prevent the enforcement of foreign law in South Carolina, including Islamic law (discussed as “Shari’a law”). The bill was introduced in January, with supporters saying the Legislature needs to clarify that foreign laws and religious or cultural traditions cannot trump U.S. laws.
7) Salon has introduced an online list of anti-Muslim pronouncements made by Republican presidential hopefuls — which includes statements made regarding bans on the construction of mosques to promoting bans on Islamic law.
8 ) A Michigan local news source has collected photos around the city of Dearborn to prove that it is not an Islamic theocracy — discovering, “no conflict between the city’s Muslim population and secular life, no attempt to impose Islam on non-believers and no evidence of an official policy of Islamic law.” The photo gallery is available here.
Dearborn’s Mayor has also penned an open letter to Rev. Terry Jones, who plans to protest Islamic law and radical Islam outside Dearborn’s Islamic Center of America this Friday.