“The Oklahoma decision is the strongest indication that we, too, would win in a court of law,” says Moein Khawaja, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations. “The sponsors of House Bill 2029 should ponder whether or not it’s worth engaging in a time-consuming lawsuit.”
Asalaam Alaikum (peace be unto you), In commemorating the 10th…
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 House Bill 2029. House Bill 2029 is the latest in a series of bills introduced in state legislators across the country, many of which have passed. They are written by anti-Muslim, white supremacist David Yerushalmi. Although the bill itself does not mention sharia, the legislative intent is clear by its sponsors. Blatant government action against sharia, and by extension all Muslims, will not be tolerated and CAIR-Philadelphia will take a stand.
When news spread of the anti-Sharia Law last week, Jewish and Muslim leaders from Pittsburgh to Philly began organizing press conferences and meetings rallying against this bill. One such press conference happened last Wednesday, in which the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) organized with local interfaith leaders to decry this bill. Holtzman joined CAIR Philadelphia Executive Director Moein Khawaja, Temple University Religion Professor Dr. Khalid Blankinship, CAIR National Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas, CAIR Philadelphia Civil Rights Director Amara Chaudry and others. The news of this bill was not taken lightly.
"This bill feeds the perception that Muslims are anti-American foreigners," Moein Khawaja, director of the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said at a Philadelphia news conference Wednesday. Khawaja urged Gov. Tom Corbett to veto the bill if it reaches him.
A rabbi, an interfaith leader, and a Temple University professor joined the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Wednesday to denounce as "Islamophobic" a Pennsylvania bill they say is an attack on sharia law, which is followed by devout Muslims. House Bill 2029, introduced by Rep. Rosemarie Swanger (R., Lebanon), says state courts shall not, in deciding cases, "consider a foreign legal code or system" that lacks "the same fundamental liberties" as the state and federal Constitutions.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations and city religious leaders are fighting what they call an “anti-Sharia” bill. The proposal from state Rep. RoseMarie Swanger, R-Lebanon, would ban the application of foreign legal codes or systems that don’t grant the same rights as the U.S. Constitution.
