Anti-Shari'a Bill Dies in Florida Senate, Philadelphia City Council Condemns Anti-Shari'a Bill

Anti-Sharia Bill Dies in Senate!

Interfaith Opposition to un-American SB 1360 pays off.

The Tampa Bay Times Reports today that Ant-Islam Senate Bill 1360 died in the Senate! CAIR Florida monitored the session until the last minute and has confirmed that this is true and the Senate closed today without passing SB 1360!

SB 1360 Presser

"This is a great success not only for the Muslim community, but for all Americans who believe in the Constitutional protections of Freedom of Religion." Said CAIR-Tampa executive director, Hassan Shibly. "This sends a strong message that we will not tolerate legislation intended to demonize, attack, and marginalize religious minorities in America. Our victory tonight is a great example of how the interfaith and civil rights community united can make a positive difference for all Americans."

On Wednesday, CAIR Florida held a press conference denouncing SB 1360 with several leading interfaith and civil rights leaders. The press conference was planned after CAIR Florida learned that the sponsor of SB 1360, Senator Alan Hays was passing around anti-Muslim literature in the Florida Senate.

The outrageous anti-Muslim literature passed out by Senator Hays prompted the Tampa Bay Times to publish an editorial decrying Senator Hays' anti-Muslim tactics.

Earlier this week CAIR met with over 100 congressional offices in DC to support national legislation that would protect the rights of all Americans and end religious profiling. Meanwhile, interfaith groups met with the Florida Senate in Tallahassee to voice their opposition to SB 1360.

CAIR Florida congratulates the Florida Muslim community and the multiple Muslim organizations for uniting and mobilizing against this bill and making their voices heard. We would also like to thank in particular our interfaith and civil rights partners that helped make this victory possible.

CAIR will continue to monitor the legislator to ensure that no other anti-Muslim or anti-freedom bills are introduced and will be ready to mobilize the community or take legal action to protect the Bill of Rights if needed. Today's victory shows the importance of working together, being involved, and not letting down our guard.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Contact:

CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Hassan Shibly: 813-541-4321, hshibly@cair.com

After Easy House Passage, 'Anti-Sharia' Bill Dies in Senate

By: Kenric Ward | Posted: March 10, 2012 3:55 AM Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla | Credit: Mark Foley - myfloridahouse.govHide

Assailed by Muslim groups and quashed by Senate President Mike Haridopolos, an "anti-Sharia" law bill died in the Florida Legislature on Friday.

Senate Bill 1360 would have restricted state courts from considering foreign laws in most cases. Authored by Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, the bill was identical to HB 1209, which easily passed the House 92-24.

But Hays' bill became ensnared in a late-breaking political controversy when proponents distributed fliers and a pamphlet decrying the alleged intrusion of Islamic law into America's courts.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations and another Muslim group, United Voices for America, condemned the leaflets, as well as the legislation -- even though the bill did not specifically reference Sharia or any religious law.

A delegation of Muslim and other religious leaders met with Haridopolos' chief of staff earlier in the week to demand that Hays' measure be postponed pending an investigation of the fliers.

Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, made no public statement about the controversy, but refused to call the bill for a vote in the waning hours of the 2012 session Friday.

David Yerushalmi, author of similar legislation being considered in other states and a defender of Hays' bill, deferred comment on the situation pending the close of the session.

"The people's representatives will do their job as they deem appropriate. If it passes, good. If not, there's always next legislative session with a new freshman class," said Yerushalmi, who is legal counsel at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Security Policy and author of "American Laws for American Courts."

Hays, who was not immediately available to comment, distributed the pamphlet entitled "Shari'ah Law: Radical Islam's Threat to the U.S. Constitution."

Earlier, he said of his opponents: "Do these people not understand the foundation of our Constitution and freedom of speech? Where have they been?"

Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 559-4719.

http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/after-easy-house-passage-anti-sharia-bill-dies-senate

You are here: Home > Blog > One Victory in a Larger Battle: Philadelphia City Council Condemns Anti-Sharia Bill

One Victory in a Larger Battle: Philadelphia City Council Condemns Anti-Sharia Bill

Posted February 2, 2012 by Admin

Dear CAIR-Philadelphia Supporter,

Right now, the Pennsylvania legislature is considering a bill which is part of a national effort to vilify, stigmatize, and demonize Islam and Muslims.

Fortunately, CAIR-Philadelphia is working to make sure that this bill never becomes law.

On its face, House Bill 2029, introduced by Rep. Rose Marie Swanger (R-Lebanon) and titled “American and Pennsylvania Laws for Pennsylvania Courts,” is a bill which prohibits Pennsylvania courts from considering applying any “foreign law” which would limit an individual’s constitutional rights.

Unfortunately, the plain language of this bill hides a much more sinister purpose – to demonize Islam and Muslims. HB 2029 is part of a larger “American Laws for American Courts” (ALAC) movement created by the American Public Policy Alliance (APPA) to guard against “the infiltration and incursion of foreign laws and foreign legal doctrines, especially Islamic Shariah Law.”

ALAC bills have been introduced in over 23 states thus far.

Make no mistake: the ALAC movement purports to target “Shariah law” but, in actuality, the ALAC movement seeks to demonize Islam itself and all Muslims. The purported author of the model ALAC legislation has been reported to have previously called for a “war against Islam,” has attempted to criminalize adherence to the Muslim faith, and to have advocated for a ban on all Muslim immigration.

CAIR-Philadelphia is working hard to ensure that HB 2029 never becomes law in Pennsylvania.

CAIR-Philadelphia has prepared a Memorandum in Opposition to House Bill 2029, and we are mailing a hard copy of this memorandum to every member of the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee which is currently considering HB 2029.
As a result of our media work, the bill has garnered significant negative media attention.
We also worked with the Arab-American Community Development Corporation to prepare a resolution to be presented to Philadelphia City Council. The resolution, which condemns the bill, passed unanimously today.
Mark your calendars for February 27th. CAIR-Philadelphia will be hosting a panel discussion and Q & A session at the Free Library of Philadelphia on Sharia. The event will be free, open to the public and broadcasted.

Finally, I need you to become educated about HB 2029 and its threat to our religious freedom. I also need you to support CAIR-Philadelphia and our work by attending our 6th annual banquet. Please register soon, and I hope to see you there.

Together, we can win this fight.

Sincerely,

Amara S. Chaudhry, Esq.
CAIR Philadelphia Civil Rights Director