Oklahomans recently voted on SQ755 to ban judges from considering Islamic law, also known as Sharia in local courts. Sharia law is comprised of religious code based on the Quran and sayings of the Prophet. Oklahomans have expressed concern over the potential use of international law in their judicial systems and many are calling it a “preventive measure.”
The director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Muneer Awad, filed a lawsuit yesterday requesting that the federal district court prohibit officials certifying the election results until the Judge can determine the constitutionality of the issue. Awad claims the initiative is a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution which safeguards free exercise of religion. The complaint raises concerns about the fact that this measure did not seek to prohibit the use of all religious law, it only sought to prevent any use of Islamic law. Unlike an Arizona law, which prohibits the use of Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and other religious law, Islam was the only religion referred to in the Oklahoma referendum.
Others criticize the state question as pointless because the Constitution is and will always be the supreme law of the land.
Is this an example of Islamophobia or a commitment to a secular nation? You be the judge.
