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Senate: Reject Anti-Islam Bill S. 29

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/1/19) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on all Americans of conscience to contact lawmakers in South Carolina and urge them to oppose anti-Islam legislation introduced earlier this month.

Introduced last month by state Senator Larry Grooms (R), the bill would ban the application of foreign law in South Carolina. Its language is modeled on other Islamophobic legislation introduced in state legislatures across the country, the first versions of which explicitly mentioned banning Sharia law. While these anti-foreign law bills no longer mention Sharia law by name, they target Islamic religious principles and practices and serve only to fearmonger about Muslim Americans.

In fact, when asked about his purpose by South Carolina newspaper The State, Sen. Grooms stated: “I intend Sharia law not replace constitutional laws and the laws of South Carolina in the court system.” This admission came only after CAIR issued a press release calling the bill out for what it is.

Grooms introduced the same bill in 2017 and 2013, but it failed to move out of committee both times.

Background on Anti-Foreign Law Bills:

Attempts to outlaw the application of Sharia or other bodies of law in judicial proceedings grew out of a concerted push by known Islamophobe David Yerushalmi. Anti-foreign law bills did not exist prior to Yerushalmi’s efforts to raise alarm bells about Sharia and draw their language, often verbatim, from a piece of model legislation authored by Yerushalmi in 2010.

The language these bills use is often purposefully broad to block legal challenges to their discriminatory natures. In 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld a lower court's decision to block implementation of an Oklahoma state constitutional amendment that would have prohibited courts from applying or considering "Sharia law" in a federal court challenge brought by CAIR. The following year, Oklahoma legislators circumvented constitutionality concerns by hiding the anti-Sharia bill’s bias behind a broader, facially neutral “foreign law” ban and passed anti-Muslim law HB 1060.

Since 2010, elected state representatives have introduced at least 221 anti-Muslim “foreign law” bills in 44 state legislatures. As of 2018, 15 of these bills are law in 13 states, covering nearly a quarter of the nation.

The Washington-based civil rights group has challenged similar unconstitutional and discriminatory “anti-Sharia,” “anti-foreign law” and “anti-Islamic Indoctrination” bills that have been introduced in state legislatures nationwide.

To counter this coordinated anti-Islam campaign, CAIR published a toolkit offering a pair of anti-Islamophobia resolutions that recognize the contributions of American Muslims and reaffirm the right of citizens to practice their faith within the law and free of government interference.

CAIR’s toolkit has sections such as “Understanding the Legislative Process,” “Legislative Advocacy: Limits for Non-Profit Organizations,” “Checklist: Meeting with an Elected Official,” and “Ensuring an Effective Meeting with an Elected Official," as well as fact sheets that may be given to lawmakers and their staff in support of the two resolutions.

CAIR is urging Islamic communities nationwide to ask state lawmakers to stand with their Muslim constituents in countering the injustice of growing Islamophobia nationwide that is being spread by anti-Muslim activists and hate groups.


CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

END

CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com

Senate: Reject Anti-Islam Bill S. 29

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/1/19) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on all Americans of conscience to contact lawmakers in South Carolina and urge them to oppose anti-Islam legislation introduced earlier this month.

Introduced last month by state Senator Larry Grooms (R), the bill would ban the application of foreign law in South Carolina. Its language is modeled on other Islamophobic legislation introduced in state legislatures across the country, the first versions of which explicitly mentioned banning Sharia law. While these anti-foreign law bills no longer mention Sharia law by name, they target Islamic religious principles and practices and serve only to fearmonger about Muslim Americans.

In fact, when asked about his purpose by South Carolina newspaper The State, Sen. Grooms stated: “I intend Sharia law not replace constitutional laws and the laws of South Carolina in the court system.” This admission came only after CAIR issued a press release calling the bill out for what it is.

Grooms introduced the same bill in 2017 and 2013, but it failed to move out of committee both times.

Background on Anti-Foreign Law Bills:

Attempts to outlaw the application of Sharia or other bodies of law in judicial proceedings grew out of a concerted push by known Islamophobe David Yerushalmi. Anti-foreign law bills did not exist prior to Yerushalmi’s efforts to raise alarm bells about Sharia and draw their language, often verbatim, from a piece of model legislation authored by Yerushalmi in 2010.

The language these bills use is often purposefully broad to block legal challenges to their discriminatory natures. In 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld a lower court's decision to block implementation of an Oklahoma state constitutional amendment that would have prohibited courts from applying or considering "Sharia law" in a federal court challenge brought by CAIR. The following year, Oklahoma legislators circumvented constitutionality concerns by hiding the anti-Sharia bill’s bias behind a broader, facially neutral “foreign law” ban and passed anti-Muslim law HB 1060.

Since 2010, elected state representatives have introduced at least 221 anti-Muslim “foreign law” bills in 44 state legislatures. As of 2018, 15 of these bills are law in 13 states, covering nearly a quarter of the nation.

The Washington-based civil rights group has challenged similar unconstitutional and discriminatory “anti-Sharia,” “anti-foreign law” and “anti-Islamic Indoctrination” bills that have been introduced in state legislatures nationwide.

To counter this coordinated anti-Islam campaign, CAIR published a toolkit offering a pair of anti-Islamophobia resolutions that recognize the contributions of American Muslims and reaffirm the right of citizens to practice their faith within the law and free of government interference.

CAIR’s toolkit has sections such as “Understanding the Legislative Process,” “Legislative Advocacy: Limits for Non-Profit Organizations,” “Checklist: Meeting with an Elected Official,” and “Ensuring an Effective Meeting with an Elected Official," as well as fact sheets that may be given to lawmakers and their staff in support of the two resolutions.

CAIR is urging Islamic communities nationwide to ask state lawmakers to stand with their Muslim constituents in countering the injustice of growing Islamophobia nationwide that is being spread by anti-Muslim activists and hate groups.


CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

END

CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com