'Save Our State' vs. Islam in Oklahoma
By Bobby Eberle October 21, 2010 7:13 AM
On Election Day, not only will Oklahoma voters help decide who represents them in Congress and their state legislature, they will also decide whether to officially prohibit Islamic law from being used in rulings in Oklahoma courtrooms. The measure puts renewed focus on those who claim that Sharia law is working itself into European courts and may soon spread to America.
FoxNews.com reports that the "media blitz" has started from a group called Act! For America which supports the proposed state constitutional amendment.
We want to make sure that the people in Oklahoma are educated about what Shariah law is all about and its ramifications," Brigitte Gabriel, president and CEO of the group, told FoxNews.com. "We're not taking any chances with this initiative passing marginally. We hope it passes with great victory."
But opponents say the initiative is the latest example of Muslims being unfairly targeted and could discourage foreign companies from doing business in the state if they believe international agreements won't be honored in court.
Muneer Awad, executive director of the Oklahoma branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), told FoxNews.com, "We take a stand in opposition to the proposed amendment." (As a side note, CAIR has also been linked to the funding of Hamas, has supported the NAACP's claim that the Tea Party movement is racist, and supported the judge's ruling that blocked Arizona's new illegal immigration law.)
Shariah is the basis of law in most Islamic countries and has been used in Iran and Somalia, among other places, to condone harsh punishments like amputations and stoning.
Gabriel argued that Shariah law is taking hold in Europe, noting that at least 85 Shariah courts are operating in Britain.
"When we look at Europe, it is a preview of what's coming to the United States," she said. "We want to make sure this does not happen here."
But is Sharia law already working its way through America? Robert Spencer thinks so. In an article published by Human Events, Spencer calls out the "mainstream media" for its effort to "deny both that there is any attempt to bring Sharia to the United States, and that Sharia is anything to be concerned about in the first place." Spencer notes the New Jersey court case which I wrote about on Tuesday in which the judge ruled that it was ok for a husband to beat and rape his wife because the man followed Islamic law. The ruling was overturned, but the fact that the lower court judge was influenced by Sharia law is clear.
Another example of Sharia insinuating itself into American life are the footbaths that have been constructed in airports and schools for the ablutions prescribed before Islamic prayers. Imagine the outcry if holy water fonts were being placed in airports for Catholic travelers - but Islamic footbaths have been dismissed as non-religious, on the pretext that anyone can use them. It would be interesting to see what would happen if a non-Muslim tried.
The fact that Sharia law can be construed to allow any type of wife-beating is absolutely deplorable. The fact that Christians living in Muslim countries face persecution and "second class" status all in the name of Sharia law is also unacceptable. And yet, it goes on. That last thing we want is to have those kinds of actions accepted in America.
Read more: http://www.gopusa.com/theloft/2010/10/save-our-state-vs-islam-in-oklahoma.php#ixzz130kldls4
