A leading US Muslim advocacy group has praised the brave move of Missouri governor Jay Nixon to veto an anti-Islam bill passed by the state’s legislature, making an unprecedented opposition to the controversial bills hitting different American states.
“We applaud Governor Nixon for taking this courageous and principled stance in defense of Missouri families and of the Constitution,” Faizan Syed, director of St. Louis chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-St. Louis), said in a statement obtained by OnIslam.net.
“The Missouri Muslim community and its interfaith and civil rights partners also deserve thanks for helping demonstrate the power of positive civic engagement on this issue.”
Commonly referred to as the anti-Shari`ah bill, the bill SB 267 was approved by the Senate last May 11, forwarded later to Governor Nixon to sign it.
The bill, which prohibits use of foreign laws in Missouri courts, has faced opposition as making life harder for Missouri Muslims, amid increasing anti-Muslim sentiments across the US.
In a statement on Monday, Nixon announced his decision to veto the bill at a news conference.
“This legislation seeks to solve a problem that does not exist, while creating the very real problem of jeopardizing Missouri’s families’ ability to adopt children from foreign countries,” he said in the statement cited by CAIR.
“Here in Missouri, we believe in strengthening families and encouraging adoption.
“By placing additional barriers between couples who want to adopt and children who need loving homes, Senate Bill 267 is quite simply out of step with these basic values.”
Governor Nixon referred to the problems that would erupt if such a bill is passed, including wills, marriage, divorce and trust decrees which would be inconsistent with the American law.
“Missourians deserve a judicial system that is both fair and predictable,” the governor said.
“Senate substitute for Senate Bill No. 267 fails to meet the very basic standard and does not receive my approval,” he added.
Thanks
Feeling grateful to the Governor, the CAIR-St. Louis chapter urged Muslims to send thanking notes to Nixon.
“Contact Gov. Nixon to thank him for vetoing SB 267,” the statement said.
“This alert will only work for Missouri residents — non-Missouri residents, please email your thanks to media@mo.gov and cc info@cair.com,” the statement added.
Shari`ah has come under scrutiny recently in the US, with right-wing campaigners and politicians questioning its role and operating system.
Lawmakers in at least 30 states have introduced proposals forbidding local judges from considering Shari`ah when rendering verdicts on issues of divorces and marital disputes.In 2011, the American Bar Association (ABA) passed a resolution opposing legislation like SB 267, noting that it is “duplicative of safeguards that are already enshrined in federal and state law.”
“Initiatives that target an entire religion or stigmatize an entire religious community, such as those explicitly aimed at ‘Shari`ah law,’ are inconsistent with some of the core principles and ideals of American jurisprudence,” the ABA resolution added.
In 2012, the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld a lower court’s decision to block implementation of an Oklahoma state constitutional amendment that would have prohibited courts from applying — or even considering — “Shari`ah law” and “international law.”
The lower court blocked implementation of the “Save Our State Amendment” based on arguments that it would unconstitutionally disfavor an entire faith and deny Oklahoma’s Muslims access to the judicial system on the same terms as every other citizen.
Last year, CAIR released a community toolkit designed to assist those seeking to preserve America’s ideal of religious pluralism in the face of the unconstitutional anti-Islam campaign.
In Islam, Shari`ah governs all issues in Muslims’ lives from daily prayers to fasting and from, marriage and inheritance to financial disputes.
The Islamic rulings, however, do not apply on non-Muslims, even if in a dispute with non-Muslims.
In US courts, judges can refer to Shari`ah law in Muslim litigation involving cases about divorce and custody proceedings or in commercial litigation.
Ref. www.islamstory.com
