I never thought I'd see the day, but coming up for vote in Oklahoma is a measure initiated by a republican. Should the amendment pass, it will prohibit the use of Sharia law as a basis for rulings in court cases.
This seems like it should be common sense. Court rulings shouldn't be made in deference to religion or religious law. Yet apparently this needs reminding since a Muslim husband repeatedly beat and raped his wife and after his wife filed a restraining order, a judge struck it down on the basis that it was his religious beliefs that promoted it.
Thankfully, this was appealed and an appellate court upheld the restraining order. But the point still stands: Religion cannot be used as an excuse to mistreat others. As has been stated elsewhere, your rights, including religious ones, end where the rights of another begin.
Predictably, Muslims are whining that this is somehow persecution. It's not. America is a nation of secular laws that apply equally. You don't get exemptions and exceptions for religion.
My only complaint is that this bill doesn't go far enough. If this is going to be a reminder that we don't use Islamic law in our courts, it needs to also remember that Christian morals and laws aren't permitted either.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
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3 comments:
The only problem is this is being pushed in OK, where they've been trying for years to turn the state into a Christian theocracy. This is Sally Kern country. It's not that they're concerned about religion getting mixed up with the law. They just don't want the "wrong" religions getting mixed up in the law. So while there may be a tiny grain of sense in the law, the intentions behind it are anything but noble.
I agree with Buffy. This is anti-Islamic fear-mongering at it's finest. It's a fundamental lack of understanding about law. While it is common for judge rulings to get overturned, typically judges have the training and experience to be impartial and to rule based on current US law. They don't usually rule on international, religious/cultural, or wishful law, and if a few do, then they can and should be overturned by other judges. Judges rulings that frequently get over-ruled should be ousted from the bench, and in most states there is a process for that.
I agree with Buffy and Marty. This isn't necessarily the fourth sign of the apocalypse. --insert some mostly off topic, but vaguely related and long winded reference to a true (but humorous) fourth sign here--
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