Texas Passes Bill to Prevent Sharia Law in the State
Lawmakers in Texas have made sure their constituents will never be subjected to Sharia law by passing a Senate bill that prevents the implementation of the Islamic justice system in their courts.
On May 26, HB 45 or most commonly known as the Texas Foreign Law Procedural Protection Act, was signed in the Senate and sent to the office of the governor of Texas, reported CBN News.
The bill's objective is to prevent any foreign law, which includes Sharia law, from being implemented in any of the state's courts.
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The controversial Sharia law, which is Islam's legal system according to BBC, literally translates to "the clear, well-trodden path to water" and was taken from the teachings of the Islam's sacred book, the Quran.
Many are opposed to the Sharia law because the punishments it prescribes include mutilation, killing, scourging and whipping, child marriage, and body parts amputation. Majority of Sharia law's penal provisions are deemed to against the constitutional rights of American citizens.
Once Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs HB45 into law, only American laws can be used during court hearings, specifically on family cases, regardless of the faith of those involved in those cases.
Reacting to the Texas Senate's action, the Center for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called out the lawmakers for the bill's "negative impact" on Muslim civil rights and for "demonizing" their beliefs.
CAIR also urged the Muslim community in Texas to oppose the bill as it seemed to spread "Islamophobia."
This is not the first time that a bill preventing foreign laws from being enacted in a state has been filed.
Michigan came up with its own legislation called HB 4499 earlier this year. The resolution aimed to prevent any foreign laws from being utilized and "provide for modification or voiding of certain contractual provisions or agreements that would result in a violation of constitutional rights."
