It’s
always a bit strange when proponents of one bill or another fall back on saying
that something is simply part of “American values.” What are American values? In a country made up of immigrants and
constantly changing, how can someone say that one viewpoint or another is
inherently American?
Even
worse is when the idea of American values is used to promote something that is
clearly racist. For example, the new
Kansas law signed by Governor Brownback.
While
the bill technically just says that courts, administrative agencies or state
tribunals can’t use foreign laws or legal systems to base their rulings on (at
least ones that would not grant the parties the same rights guaranteed by state
and U.S. constitutions) the language used on the supporter’s website is
incredibly discriminatory. The group
sponsoring it particularly says that it wants “to protect Americans' freedoms
from infiltration by foreign laws and legal doctrines, especially Islamic
Shariah Law."
Given
the fact that supporters specifically mentioned Shariah Law, Muslim groups have
suggested that a legal challenge is likely.
It’s strange, because there are no known cases in which a Kansas judge
have actually based a ruling on Islamic Law, and it is unlikely that they would
in the future.
Yet
supporters remain convinced that such a move is necessary. The governor's spokeswoman, Sherriene
Jones-Sontag, even said that “this disturbing recent trend of activist judges
relying upon the laws of other nations has been rejected by overwhelming bipartisan
majorities in both the Kansas House and Senate.”
This
entire thing seems like a blatant attempt to attack Muslims for no other reason
than to attack them. The spokesman for
the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ibrahim Hooper, agrees.
"Underlying
all of this is demonizing Islam and marginalizing American Muslims," he
said.
إرسال تعليق