A federal judge in Oklahoma extended the restraining order on the state’s “Sharia ban” for another week while she deliberates. The case revolves around a lawsuit, filed by Muneer Awad, director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, alleging that the ban, which would prohibit state courts from considering Sharia or international law in their decisions, violates his First Amendment rights. Seventy percent of voters supported the ban during the midterms. Most of the state’s newspapers came out against the initiative. Opponents also argued that the measure “was unnecessary because state judges have no reason to rely on Islamic law.” One small step against Islamophobia, one giant leap toward understanding how your state’s justice system actually functions.
