11-21-2015, 05:25 PM
Muslims in the U.S. can practice Sharia principles freely (most of which apply to behavior, prayer, and dress), but the separation of church and state in America doesn't allow anyone to use freedom of religion as a successful defense to violent crime. Everyone in the U.S. is subject to the same federal and state-specific criminal law, regardless of faith.
In some states and cases, religious exemptions may be given for things like vaccinations, and occasionally religious beliefs will be considered when deciding whether to charge (or how to sentence) parents who chose prayer over doctors for their children and the children died.
And, some civil courts in the U.S. have judges who've weighed Sharia Law when deciding Muslim family and financial disputes; even that's been banned in some states though.
But, you can't murder someone and use religion as a defense in this country. And a Muslim can't rape someone in this country and expect to use the fact that there weren't four credible Muslim men to witness it as a defense (as with Sharia). And, a Muslim shop owner can't cut the hand off a thief and use Sharia as a defense; the shop owner will instead be charged with assault and likely sued by the thief as well.
I don't see any threat in Sharia Law or any religious belief system superseding the criminal law of the land or being forced upon Americans; it's a violation of the Constitution (though some Christians try to claim that God's law supersedes man's law and some evangelical politicians rally behind them).
In some states and cases, religious exemptions may be given for things like vaccinations, and occasionally religious beliefs will be considered when deciding whether to charge (or how to sentence) parents who chose prayer over doctors for their children and the children died.
And, some civil courts in the U.S. have judges who've weighed Sharia Law when deciding Muslim family and financial disputes; even that's been banned in some states though.
But, you can't murder someone and use religion as a defense in this country. And a Muslim can't rape someone in this country and expect to use the fact that there weren't four credible Muslim men to witness it as a defense (as with Sharia). And, a Muslim shop owner can't cut the hand off a thief and use Sharia as a defense; the shop owner will instead be charged with assault and likely sued by the thief as well.
I don't see any threat in Sharia Law or any religious belief system superseding the criminal law of the land or being forced upon Americans; it's a violation of the Constitution (though some Christians try to claim that God's law supersedes man's law and some evangelical politicians rally behind them).