US State of North Carolina Didn't Ban Sharia Law
The Claim
North Carolina has banned Sharia law and regards it as “criminal.”
News posted on
Emerging story
A popular post on social media says that North Carolina has banned Sharia law and regards it as “criminal.”
Misbar’s Analysis
In 2013, the North Carolina state legislature did in fact pass a law that banned North Carolina courts from applying all forms of “foreign law” to their official proceedings, including Sharia Law. However, the bill did not make it illegal for state residents to personally practice Sharia or any other foreign law.
Such laws have been ratified in multiple states and are being proposed in others. Their opponents, for example the Anti-Defamation League, widely considered to be an authoritative watchdog against anti-liberalism that may slip into US culture, says that there is “no documentation” that “application of foreign law in our judicial system” is “unconstitutional.” It is also widely understood that the US constitution protects the validity of the customs of every people group on Earth within the borders of the US, especially religious customs.
In summary, while the claim has some basis, it overinterprets the law, seemingly implying that Muslims living in North Carolina are banned and criminalized for personally practicing Sharia law. Rather, Sharia and all other foreign laws are prohibited from being applied in state court proceedings.
