ACLU official: ND bill based on unfounded fear of 'Sharia law'

BISMARCK—An official representing the American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota said a bill under consideration at the state Legislature is motivated by an unfounded concern about "Sharia law" making its way into the state's court system.

But the bill's primary sponsor said House Bill 1425 isn't targeting any religion and is simply meant to assure the state's courts adhere to U.S. and North Dakota law.

The bill, which was heard in the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday, Feb. 8, says it's the policy of the state to "protect its citizens from the application of foreign laws when the application of a foreign law will result in the violation" of rights guaranteed by the state or U.S. Constitution, such as due process, equal protection and freedom of religion. A foreign law would not include any laws of Native American tribes in North Dakota, but instead would mean "any law, legal code or system of a jurisdiction outside any state or territory of the United States."

The bill received support from an official representing the Center for Security Policy, a controversial group founded by former Reagan administration official Frank Gaffney that the Southern Poverty Law Center said "has gone from a respected hawkish think tank focused on foreign affairs to a conspiracy-oriented mouthpiece for the growing anti-Muslim movement in the United States." Part of its mission is to "identify challenges and opportunities likely to affect American security," according to its website. It also warns that some are seeking to install Sharia as a "parallel legal and political system in the United States."

Read more: http://www.inforum.com/news/4215202-aclu-official-nd-bill-based-unfounded-fear-sharia-law