Tag: legislator
Oklahoma legislator’s proposal would ban use of Shariah law
By Bill Sherman, Tulsa World, 10/13/10
A proposed amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution that would ban Shariah
law in the state court system is either a pre-emptive strike against
encroaching Islamic law in the U.S. or an expression of Islamophobia,
depending on who you ask.
State Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, authored State Question 755,
which requires state courts to rely only on federal and state laws when
deciding cases, and forbids courts to consider international law or
Shariah law. It will appear on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. . .
“I would describe this as a pre-emptive strike,” Duncan said. “We don’t
want to let it get a toehold.”
Razi Hashmi, former executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of the
Council on American- Islamic Relations, said the proposal is motivated
by hate for Muslims.
He said Duncan has a history of anti-Muslim bigotry, including backing a
proposal to ban Muslim headscarves on driver’s license photos and
refusing to accept the Quran as a gift.
“A law such as this sends us backward, and is really bad for business,
especially in an oil state that deals with the Middle East,” he said.
Denmark: Muslims walk out of terrorism conference after Islamophobic comments by legislator
Several Muslim attendees walked out of a “Terrorism and Communication” conference hosted by the Danish Security and Surveillance Agency.
A local pubic broadcaster notes that Muslim guests, including an imam, decided to leave after Soren Esperson from the Danish People’s Party stood up and said that Islam is one of the world’s problems. Esperson’s comments came after the head of the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, Jakob Scharf, opened the conference by saying that Islam cannot be equated with terrorism, and argued that doing so complies with the demands of al-Qaeda’s fear-driven tactics.
Michigan elects first Muslim woman state lawmaker
Thirty-two year old Rashida Tlaib has made history by winning a seat in the Michigan legislature, becoming the first Muslim woman to serve in the state legislature. Rashida, who was born in Michigan to Palestinian immigrants, said that: “Allah had chosen me for this job.” Tlaib is a community activist and lawyer, and defeated her Republican opponent by a wide 9 to 1 margin on the November 4th elections. “My parents had taught me the importance of hard work, honesty and commitment. And those values today paid me in the form of being electing to the prestigious position of Michigan State Legislature, representing a diverse community of Latino, African American and Arabs,” said Tlaib.
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Iran to counter ‘Fitna’ with two documentaries
Iran plans to counter the inflammatory _Fitna’ video made by Dutch legislator Geert Wilders with two documentary films. The films, titled _Reply to Fitna’ and _Beyond Fitna’ aim at what the filmmakers call neutralizing the plot by the Dutch against Islam. The two Iranian filmmakers have also announced their readiness to debate Wilders over his film. Tehran has condemned Wilders’ film, calling it insulting and anti-Islamic and as symbolic for the deep antagonism of some Western countries towards Muslims and Islam.
Hirsi Ali Returns to the Netherlands after Losing Body Guards
Former Dutch legislator and Islam critic Hirsi Ali has been under state-funded protection since extremists began threatening her life in 2004. Now the Dutch government has said it won’t pay for her protection if she continues to live and work in the United States.