A Texas tribunal that was set up to establish legal counsel for Sharia law for American Muslims is now calling for the mayor of Irving, Texas to apologize for not supporting the foreign Islamic law.
Sharia law is the set of legal guidelines that all Muslim people must follow, including specific laws on crime, politics, economics, sexual intercourse, hygiene, diet, prayer, etiquette, and fasting. The set of laws are thought to be created by the Prophet Muhammad and written in the Quran.
The Dallas-area tribunal was first created earlier this year by four Muslim lawyers who said that a group was needed to regulate those laws for the ever-growing number of Muslims living in America.
"In order for there to be a healthy and viable community these issues must be addressed in an amicable, just and proper way to the full satisfaction of the community. To allow conflicts to be unresolved is tantamount to leaving an open wound and if unchecked will wreck the peace and tranquility of the community as a whole."
But Irving, Texas mayor Beth Van Duyne opposed the creation of any type of foreign law in the city or the state of Texas. In a Facebook post, Van Duyne explains that allowing Sharia law in Texas was never even something she considered, and she reassured the people of Irving that this tribunal has no influence over the town's government.
"Sharia Law Court was NOT approved or enacted by the City of Irving," she said. "Recently, there have been rumors suggesting that the City of Irving has somehow condoned, approved or enacted the implementation of a Sharia Law Court in our City. Let me be clear, neither the City of Irving, our elected officials or city staff have anything to do with the decision of the mosque that has been identified as starting a Sharia Court."
But this public declaration upset the Sharia law supporters who proceeded to call the mayor a "bigot" and claimed that she is spreading "Islamaphobia." The truth is, not only was the Sharia court established without the proper licensing and paperwork, but all four of the tribunal's lawyers are unlicensed in the state of Texas, which is a third degree felony.
Plus, as pointed out by Conservative Tribune, "The rules of the Sharia court had different guidelines for women and men, with typical Islamic humiliation tactics to be used against women, which is constitutionally illegal."
And although the bill made no specific mention of Islam, Muslims, or even Sharia law, Islamic officials are still claiming that it wrongly targets them. "We don't care about the bill," Zia Sheikh, imam at the Islamic Center of Irving, said. "It's not going to affect us in any way, shape or form. The bottom line is the foundation of this bill is anti-Islamic."
But Van Duyne explained further, "American citizens need to remember that their rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and I believe no one should subjugate themselves to anything less. While I am working to better understand how this "court" will function and whom will be subject to its decisions, please know if it is determined that there are violations of basic rights occurring, I will not stand idle and will fight with every fiber of my being against this action."
"Our nation cannot be so overly sensitive in defending other cultures that we stop protecting our own."
