Written by Theresa Corbin

I wrote what follows almost 2.5 years ago. Today, it is still relevant because apparently some of us in the US believe in Santa Clause, the tooth fairy, a Sharia take over, and other made-up things.

It is still relevant because tomorrow, July 29th, an anti-sharia march will take place in the city I was raised in and around–New Orleans, La. 

I will not be a part of any counter rally/march because when ignorant people protest something that isn’t actually a threat, a counter protest is kind of useless, a counter protest would only affirm their delusions.

Instead, today, I am re-posting some reality about the fictitious Sharia creep or take over of the US. Please pass it along so more people can overcome this mass delirium gripping the US.  

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Can a Sharia creep? Is their a creep(er) named Sharia? Is the Sharia creep a newfangled dance the kids are doing? No, it is just the way some people lose their minds to unfounded fear and hype.

I guess I am pretty late to the Sharia debate, or farce, really. But I thought that the American people would snap their brains back into their heads and just laugh off fearmongers, extremist nutters, and media personality with big mouths and little credibility.

I guess I just believed in the American people, believed that my fellow citizens’ logic would override emotional pleas to believe in the boogeyman.

And while many, many of my fellow Americans have made me proud and dismissed the rhetoric. Still a few have been thoroughly caught up in the anti-Sharia frenzy and have been pretty loud about it.

The debate is interesting to watch. Most amusing are the baseless accusations Islamophobes fling while trying to “educate” the American people about the alleged take over of Sharia law.

But they fail to 1. say what Sharia is, 2. say how exactly it will “take over”, and  3. explain how religious laws (Christian, Jewish, and Islamic, etc.) have always been taken into account by courts within the frame work of the constitution.

Well, let’s talk about it.

1. What is Sharia?

Sharia is more than just “law”. It governs every aspect of an observant Muslim’s life. Note who it governs. The Muslim and the observant one at that. Only.

It is a code of conduct, according to The Quran and the prophetic tradition, prescribing both religious and secular duties and sometimes penalties for lawbreaking, generally supplemented by legislation adapted to the conditions of the day or culture of a place.

There is nothing anti-American about Sharia, especially considering that Sharia comes from a religion that out dates America by like 1200 years. Sharia law is about the betterment of its people, affording citizens stability, education, protection, and justice.

However, what we learn in the West about Sharia comes from the unfortunate misrepresentation of it in Muslim Majority countries.

Many of these countries use Sharia as an instrument of state control that focuses on keeping its citizens under its thumb with threats of harsh penalties that are usually implemented with complete disregard for Islamic protocol.

Many majority Muslim countries are so far removed from these institutes that it is almost laughable to call them Islamic. That is if it weren’t so tragic. Read more here: Western Countries more Islamic than the Middle East.

2. How will Sharia Take Over?

It won’t. Islam commands Muslims to obey the laws of the land in which they live, even if it is ruled by non-Muslims. Islamic law views citizenship as a contract held between the citizen and the state, one which guarantees security in exchange for certain obligations (such as obeying the laws of the land); contracts or covenants are considered sacredly binding in Islam.

The Quran 17:34: And fulfil every covenant. Verily, you will be held accountable with regard to the covenants.

To add to that command, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) described the religious hypocrite as someone who: When he enters into a covenant, he proves treacherous.

It is also important to note that no Muslim individual or organization has ever tried to set up Sharia as the governing law of the U.S. No, not even the Muslim Brotherhood.

I don’t know why I have to remind people of this because it seems obvious, but apparently it isn’t: We are a democracy here in the U.S., and that means the people hold sovereignty. The majority rules and the Muslim population in the U.S., at almost 2%, is far from the majority.

I can only imagine what goes on in the heads of Islamophobes who actually think Sharia is going to take over in the U.S. And I have imagined it. It goes something like this:

Jaffar from Aladdin hides out in Trump’s closet (trying on his suits), lying in wait until Melania turns off the night light. When the first couple is sound asleep, Jaffar first puts Trump’s hand in a bowl of room temp water (you know why).

Then he sneaks into the constitution room- because that is a thing, right?-, performs some Mission Impossible stunt with the help of his flying carpet and trusty parrot Iago.

Gets to the constitution out of its stronghold, and destroys it. Then Jaffar, the diabolical mastermind that he is, puts the Quran and a copy of Saheeh al-Bukhari (a book of prophetic traditions) in its place and slinks out.

Then the next morning when Americans wake up, there is some strange force field that has covered the entirety of the U.S. This mysterious force field has somehow programmed police officers, judges, politicians, and even the president to enforce Sharia law.

The Horror!

As absurd as this sounds, the propaganda machine that manufactures this fear is well-funded and has plenty of time on its hands to think up lies about Muslims and distort facts about Islam. Here are some examples of Sharia take over stories meant to scare good Americans into hate.

A.- Frankfort, Tx has been taken over by Sharia Law!! claims pundits and politicians alike. Except Frankfort, Tx doesn’t exist. It was incorporated into Dallas over 40 years ago. I don’t know when you were in Dallas last, but the last time I was there the closest thing to Sharia law was an

Arab-owned deli that didn’t sell pork just down the street from a Honey Baked Ham store and a Hooters.

B. – MAZlims in Irving, Tx are forcing good patriots to submit to Islamic tribunals!! Except they’re not.

Muslims in Irving, Tx have set up a completely voluntary, not legally binding, arbitration committee to address a need within the Muslim community.

The Imam of the Community writes, “Similar religious tribunals have existed for decades in the American Jewish and American Christian faith communities to resolve disputes, most especially within families.”

But this time Mazlims did it so it must be evil! Check your bias at the door, folks.

C.- Dearborn, MI Is Overrun by Sharia! Never happened. The report was posted on an satirical site. But people believed it and the Mayor had to step in and remind everyone of sanity.

Mayor O’Reilly said in the release:

Dearborn has never been, nor ever will be, under Sharia law. We are governed by the U.S. Constitution, the Constitution of the State of Michigan and the City of Dearborn Charter.

To drive the point home, chew on this: Even Non-Muslims living in Muslim majority lands are allowed to practice their faith, and religious laws, and are not bound to Islamic laws.

3. When Religious laws Apply

I will now direct your attention to an expert in the matter, Abed Awad, a New Jersey-based attorney and an expert on Sharia who told Justin Eliot of Salon.com:

U.S. courts are required to regularly interpret and apply foreign law — including Islamic law — to everything from the recognition of foreign divorces and custody decrees to the validity of marriages, the enforcement of money judgements, probating an Islamic will and the damages element in a commercial dispute. Sharia is relevant in a U.S. court either as a foreign law or as a source of information to understand the expectations of the parties in a dispute.

And when asked if “sharia [is] used in U.S. courts any differently than other foreign or religious systems of law?” Awad replied, “No, it is utilized the same way as Jewish law or Canon law or any other law”.

The point is that those who instigate fear of Sharia want the American people to think that any time a Muslim exercises his or her right to religious freedom in his or her own life that it is a sign that Muslims are trying to take over the country … But the erosion of religious freedom hurts everyone.

Just for funsies, can you think of any religious based laws that are already imposed on the people of the U.S.?

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