State Rep. David Agema has introduced legislation that would ban “foreign laws” in Michigan. In this week's installment of the Michigan Politics Minute, Press Editorial Page Editor Ed Golder and politics reporter Jim Harger discuss the controversial bill and what it might mean for the state.
The legislation mirrors efforts in 25 other states to stop Muslim-based “sharia law.” Sharia law is the interpretation of the Muslim holy book the Quran as well as the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad that governs personal conduct in many Islamic countries. The laws can vary from country to country, depending on individual jurists' interpretations.
Agema'sa bill is aimed at a fear among conservatives that there is a plan by Muslims to impose Sharia law on U.S. courts. The Grandville Republican points to a 2009 Oakland County court ruling in which the judge recognized the divorce of a Muslim couple because the husband traveled home to India and orally pronounced the divorce three times under Sharia law.
The decision was over-turned by the state Court of Appeals, which ruled the husband's divorce violated his Michigan wife's right to due process and was “contrary to public policy.”
Conservatives have pointed to other instances in the United States, many of them involving family law cases.
Southeast Michigan has a sizable Muslim population, especially in the city of Dearborn. Last month a group of legislators along with representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), held a press conference in Detroit objecting to Agema's bill.
David Walid, executive director of CAIR-Michigan, gave examples of how the bill could disrupt Islamic life. It could, for instance, spark challenges to special dietary accommodations made for Muslim students in Michigan schools. In addition, he warned, the law could potentially block public schools from holding Lenten fish fries for Catholic students or offering kosher food to Jewish youngsters.
State Representative Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, is Muslim. She said the Agema legislaion is xenophobic and targets Muslims. "This is taking a community and casting suspicion on them … targeting them, and it's completely wrong,” said Tlaib. “It's racism at its core.”
Agema called Tlaib's accusations “hogwash” and denied that the legislation targets Muslims. “It will prevent any religious or foreign law from taking precedence,” said Agema, who is pondering a run for Congress against U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland.
What do you think? Is Sharia law a real threat to Michigan? Is this legislation an unnecessary attack on Muslims?
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