After reading an article on religious freedom in Newsweek by Steven Waldman, I wanted to respond.
Although Mr. Waldman’s article is long and well-written and he has clearly completed extensive research, he seems to be putting all religions in one big category. Not all religions can be lumped together. For example, this would mean overlooking the dangers inherent in Islamic Sharia Law.
Further, the U. S. Constitution does not promise religious freedom. The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion . . . “ The Founding Fathers didn’t want a state religion like the Church of England. The Constitution does not promise religious freedom.
There is good reason for not allowing complete religious freedom in America. U. S. laws outlaw some religious practices. When Utah became a state in 1886, the Church of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons) halted the practice of polygamy, thereby conforming to state and federal law. And when the Supreme Court passed Roe v. Wade in 1973, abortion became legal over the strong objection of the Catholic Church.
I have little problem with Sharia Law being in a country where there is no United States Constitution. But Sharia Law intends to govern all aspects of public and private life and leaves no room for other governance. Sharia Law and the United States Constitution cannot coexist.
From the Encyclopedia Britannica, under the Penal Law section, some tenets of Sharia Law are discussed. Although Western civilization has had some influence on the Islamic world, these tenets have remained essentially unchanged since Mohammed’s death in 632 A. D.
An eye-for-an-eye is the punishment for murder under Sharia Law. The victim’s family decides how to carry out appropriate retaliation. This is in stark contrast to the provisions of the United States Constitution which provide for trial by jury within the court system and hold that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
The punishment for theft under Sharia Law is to cut off the thief’s hand.
Under Sharia Law, a married woman accused of extramarital sexual affairs is stoned to death.
Finally, apostasy proves the point that Islam does not allow for religious freedom. “Apostasy” is the renunciation of one’s religion. The punishment of apostasy is death.
There is no religious freedom under Islam.
Is there a solution? Is it possible for Muslims to convert to the America way of life? I do not have the answer to this important question.
References:
Billion Bibles. Retrieved at http://www.billionbibles.org/sharia/america-sharia-law.html about Sharia Law in America and http://www.bilionbibles.org/sharia/isamization-of-america.html retrieved on May 19, 2017.
El Shamsy, Ahmed and Noel James Coulson. Shari ah, Islamic Law. Updated April 5, 2019. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shariah on May 19, 2019.
Waldman, Steven. Newsweek Magazine. Religious Freedom is America’s Greatest Export – and It’s Under Attack. May 19, 2019. Retrieved on https://www.newsweek.com/2019/05/17/religious-freedom-americas-greatest-export-under-attack-1418121.html on May 18, 2019.
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