Jones and Quinones-Sanchez call bill to ban foreign law ‘mean-spirited’ and ‘unnecessary’
Philadelphia City Council recently passed a resolution in opposition to a controversial state bill that opponents argue smacks of anti-Muslim sentiment. Resolution 120031, co-sponsored by Seventh District Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez and Fourth District Councilman Curtis Jones Jr., asks "Pennsylvania General Assembly to reject House Bill 2029 as unnecessary and inconsistent with our core constitutional principles, and affirming that the Council of the City of Philadelphia welcomes all religious beliefs, traditions and heritages, and does not entertain any concern that any foreign or religious law offers a threat to the law of the land."
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. RoseMarie 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. 
As our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate Hanukkah and Christians prepare for Christmas, Muslims must contend with the fact that their own elected officials have capitulated to the hysteria of Islamophobia and are contemplating an anti-sharia bill. On Wednesday, December 14, CAIR-Philadelphia and interfaith leaders held a press conference to challenge