By William D. Slicker, Esq.
On 6 April, 2026, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that takes effect 1 July 2026 that enacted Section 2.05, Florida Statutes which provides in part:
A court, administrative law judge, hearing officer, agency, arbitration panel, or any other authority or tribunal established by law or agreement of the parties may not apply any provision of foreign law or religious law that would result in a violation of a person’s rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution.
How did this statute come about? In 2009, a Muslim woman from Morocco who was living with her Moroccan Muslim husband in New Jersey, filed for a domestic violence injunction against her husband. She alleged that he had beaten her and forced her to have sex multiple times against her will. The husband defended himself by testifying that he was only acting in accordance with Sharia law. The trial judge denied the injunction. On appeal, the appellate court ruled that religious beliefs did not provide an exception to domestic violence offenses, S.D. v. M.J.R., 2 A. 3d 412, 415 N.J. Super 417 (App. Div. 2010).
Also in 2009, following the New Jersey trial court decision, a Michigan attorney, David Yerushalmi, founded the American Public Policy Alliance and drafted Model legislation to prohibit the use of foreign or religious law by American courts.[1]
In 2010, the Oklahoma legislature passed an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution that provided in part, “Specifically, the courts shall not consider international law or Sharia Law.” The Council on American Islamic Relations and the American Civil Liberties Union attacked the new amendment as unconstitutional on the grounds that it targeted one religion. In 2012, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the amendment. Awad v. Ziriax, 670 F. 3d 1111 (10th Cir. 2012).
Since then, a number of states have enacted statutes that track the model legislation prohibiting the application of any foreign law or religious law. These states including Alabama[2], Arizona[3], Arkansas[4], Florida[5], Kansas[6], Louisiana[7], Mississippi[8], and South Dakota[9].
In 2013, the Missouri legislature passed such a bill, but then Governor Jay Nixon vetoed it. A similar bill was introduced in South Carolina in 2018, but it was defeated.
In 2026, such bills have been introduced in Iowa[10] and Kentucky[11].
At the national level, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville has introduced the No Sharia Act which would prohibit the application of Sharia law in the U.S.[12]
Those opposed to such legislation, such as the Counsel on American Islamic Relations, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Interfaith Alliance, and the American Civil Liberty Union, all say that this type of legislation is draconian anti-Muslim legislation that is a threat to the religious freedom of all religions.
Those supporting such legislation state:
“Sharia law and radical Islam have always been and will likely remain an existential threat to the republic. Of all the major world religions, only Islam expressly directs its adherents to carry out the conquest of nonbelievers as proof of personal devotion and the truth of its tenets. Woven through the Quran is a martial calling that encourages the faithful to wage war against and conquer non-Muslims.
The list of atrocities committed by Islamists and radical Muslims against Americans is lengthy and could fill multiple volumes. Among the most prominent incidents are the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy by a Palestinian jihadist, the Iranian embassy hostage crisis, the Beirut barracks bombings, the 9/11 attacks, the Boston Marathon bombing, and the 2025 New York’s track attack in New Orleans.
Sharia law is the complete political, societal, and individual submission to Islam as written in the Quran and found in the hadiths of Muhammad.”[13]
Interpretations of Sharia Law can vary. However, common interpretations include the following:
- Honor killings as punishment for adultery[14];
- Death as punishment for leaving Islam[15];
- Polygamy as an acceptable practice[16];
- Corporal punishments such as whipping or caning for certain crimes[17];
- Marriages in which spouses are related by blood[18];
- Execution of gays and lesbians[19].
Due to Sharia law allowing for such actions, there have been “March Against Sharia” rallies across the United States which have been met with counter-protests.[20]
Once a child has been raised in a religious belief, that belief becomes part of his or her view of reality. Trying to tell them that their belief is wrong is likely trying to tell them that the tree they see outside their house is not there. It is very difficult to get someone to change his or her religious views. It was Lenin who said, “Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.”[21]
Outside the court system, Sharia Law is here. In Minneapolis, the Somali Muslims live predominately in an area known as Little Mogadishu. It has been the center of the welfare fraud perpetrated by Somali NGO’s. Street patrols have appeared there to enforce Sharia: no alcohol, no drugs, no mixing of sexes.[22] The city now allows Islamic prayer calls to be broadcast over speakers.[23] Stearns Bank, which has its headquarters in Minnesota now advertises that: “Our goal is to be the leading Islamic banking service provider in the United States… Stears Salaam Banking empowers ethical money management with Shariah-compliant competitive returns.”
In Texas, there was a plan for the East Plano Islamic Center, which was to be thousands of homes centered around a mosque and a private Islamic school. It was to include commercial developments, a community college, and sports facilities, all designed as an exclusive religious settlement where Islamic principles were to govern daily life, education, and commerce.[24] In response, Texas passed legislation banning Sharia compounds.[25]
All Muslims are not radical Islamists. Many Muslims served in our military or as interpreters for our military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While some Muslims may oppose some harsher interpretations of Sharia; unfortunately, history has shown us that when ideologues take over, the more radical waste little time in killing off the less radical.
During the French Revolution, the Jacobin’s leader Maximilien Robespierre killed off his less extreme opposition, as well as the aristocracy. It is estimated that between 20,000 to 40,000 people were killed. Most were beheaded, but many died in prison without trial during Robespierre’s reign of terror.[26]
In 1934, on the night of the Long Knives, Adolph Hitler’s SS arrested and killed Hitler’s SA “Brownshirt” leaders. During his time as leader of Germany, Adolf Hitler’s Nazis murdered approximately 6 million Jews plus another 5 million non-Jews.[27]
In 1936, Joseph Stalin made his Great Purge in which he eliminated any political opposition by executing an estimated 750,000 to 1 million people. He went on to execute at least 9 million while he was Russia’s leader.[28]
In 1966, Mao Zedong began his Cultural Revolution during which he systematically eliminated his political rivals and intellectuals. It is estimated that 1 to 2 million people died from his campaign. During Mao’s leadership, it is estimated that 65 million Chinese died due to Mao’s policies.[29]
In 1979, Saddam Hussein rose to power in Iraq and immediately killed his rivals within his own party. It is estimated during his reign that he murdered 250,000 to 300,000 of his own citizens.[30]
Also, in 1979, Ayatollah Khamenei became supreme leader of Iran. He immediately executed 100s of people who worked with the Shah. During Khamenei’s reign in 1988, over 30,000 political prisoners were executed-most by hanging them from cranes.[31] Tens of thousands more were killed during the protests of 2009, 2022, and 2026 because his citizens wanted more freedom than he thought Sharia law allowed.[32]
All of this leaves us with a difficult situation. How does one distinguish between those Muslims who are willing to live peacefully among other religions and those Muslims who want to kill as many non-Muslims as they can in order to earn a place in paradise? How does someone prohibit the most radical ideologues from overtaking and killing off less radical believers? Some people advocate following the Buddhists of Myanmar, the Hindus of India, and the Communists of China, and suppress all Muslims. Such an approach would be unfair to those Muslims who are willing to live peacefully among non-Muslims and abide by American law. I do not know where the road will take us, but I know that in the near future the road will not be straight and smooth. I hope that in the long term, love of common humanity and creative thinking will prevail and allow for the peaceful co-existence of others. After all, that is the American Dream.
[1] American Public Policy Alliance American Laws for American Courts Model Act https://ibh.554.myftpupload.com/legislation/model-alac-bill/
[2] Ariz. Rev. Stat. §12-3101
[3] Sec. 13. 5, Ala Const.
[4] Ark. Act 980
[5] Sec. 2.05, Fla. Stat.
[6] Kan. Stat. Ann. §60-5101
[7] La Rev. Stat §9.6001
[8] Miss. Code §11-63-1
[9] S.D.C.L. 15-16A/15-16-44
[10] HF 2695
[11] HB 539
[12] Tuberville Introduces Legislation to Ban Sharia Law in the United States https://www.tuberville.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/tuberville-introduces-legislation-to-ban-sharia-law-in-the-united-states/
[13] Center for Renewing America, Policy Brief: The Threat of Radical Islam and Sharia Law, 9 Dec. 2025, https://americarenewing.com/issues/policy-brief-the-threat-of-radical-islam-and-sharia-law/
[14] Kecia Ali, Honor Killings, Illicit Sex, and Islamic Law Brandes University.
[15] The Right to Apostasy in The World, Humanists International; Death Sentence for Apostasy In Nearly a Dozen Countries, National Secular Society (Nov 16. 2021).
[16] Islam and Polygamy, AI-Islam.org
[17] Indonesia Outrage: Women Caned 140 times by Sharia Police (Jan. 30, 2026).
[18] Ruling on Cousin Marriage in Islam, Islam Question and Answer (July 23, 1997).
[19] Center for Renewing America, Policy Brief: The Threat of Radical Islam and Sharia Law (Dec. 9, 2025) https://americarenewing.com/issues/policy-brief-the-threat-of-radical-islam-and-sharia-law/; This would mean the elimination of people like Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Janice Ian, Chappell Roan, Perfume Genius, Boy Genius, Lady Gaga, Boy George, David Bowie, Lil Nas X, Janice Joplin, Ricky Martin, Miley Cyrus, Barry Manilow, Halsey, Leonard Bernstein, Cole Porter, Liberace, and many others.
[20] Doubak, “Anti-Sharia Marchers Met with Counter-Protests Around the Country” WUFT (June 11, 2017)
[21] Vladimir Lenin Quotes, Brainy Quote, https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/vladimir-lenin-quotes
[22] Meotti, Giulio, How the Sharia Trojan Horse Quietly Conquered “Minnesota Nice” Middle East Forum (Feb. 3, 2026) https://www.meforum.org/mef-online/how-the-sharia-trojan-horse-quietly-conquered-minnesota-nice
[23] McKeown, Jonah, Minneapolis becomes first large US city to allow Islamic prayer calls over speakers, The Catholic World Repor (Apr. 18, 2023). https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2023/04/18/minneapolis-becomes-first-large-u-s-city-to-allow-islamic-prayer-calls-over-speakers/
[24] Cornyn Calls on DOJ to Investigate Epic City (Apr. 11, 2025) https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-calls-on-doj-to-investigate-epic-city-following-accusations-of-religious-discrimination-sharia-law/
[25] Governor Abbott Signs Law Banning Sharia Compounds in Texas (Sept. 12, 2025) https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-signs-law-banning-sharia-compounds-in-texas.
[26] Britannica, Reign of Terror (Apr. 16, 2026) https://www.britannica.com/event/Reign-of-Terror
[27] 25 Facts About the Holocaust, Holocaust Museum of Houston https://hmh.org/about/25-facts-about-holocaust/
[28] Fraga, Kaleena, “How Many People Did Stalin Kill,” All That’s Interesting (Apr. 8, 2026) https://allthatsinteresting.com/how-many-people-did-stalin-kill
[29] Edwards, Lee, “The Legacy of Mao Zedong’s Mass Murder,” The Heritage Foundation (Feb. 2, 2010).https://www.heritage.org/china/commentary/the-legacy-mao-zedong-mass-murder
[30] https://www.hrw.org/legacy/backgrounder/mena/iraq1217bg.htm
[31] Human Rights Watch, “Iran’s 1988 Mass Executions,” Human Rights Watch, (June 8, 2022) https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/08/irans-1988-mass-executions
[32] Gritten, David, “Huge anti-government protests in Tehran and other Iranian cities, video show” BBC (Jan. 8, 2026) https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7y0579lp8o
