In this op-ed in the New York Daily News, Imam Feisal argues that the fear of Sharia law in the United States is baseless, both because the First Amendment protects against the establishment of religious laws and because, like Christians, Jews, and other faiths groups, Muslims already are able to engage with religious laws in limited aways, for instance through marriage ceremonies that are both religious and civil. Imam Feisal points to Israel as an example of a nation whose civil laws integrate with Sharia without conflict. Additionally, Imam Feisal states that there is no inherent conflict between American law and values and Sharia, as they are based on the same principles.
“…Muslim jurists have long reflected on the objectives, or purposes, of Islamic law. These include what Thomas Jefferson called life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Islamic law parses the pursuit of happiness into freedom of mind, religion, property, family and dignity.
Jefferson would not object. Originally, it was the right to property, not the pursuit of happiness, that he wanted to guarantee all Americans.
Contrary to the right-wing caricature, sharia does not presume to replace American law. It agrees with its underlying values and promotes them…”
