Tennessee bill makes practicing islam pretty much illegal

This bill cannot be constitutional.

TN Bill Calls Two Or More Observant Muslims A ‘Sharia Organization’
Already passed committees in each chamber... so this is just one single lawmaker being insane.... it's a whole bunch of them... in both chambers.

After initial objections, lawmakers in Tennessee are moving a new version (pdf) of the most expansive anti-Sharia bill yet. The legislation has already been passed by committees in each chamber.

The bill says it:

neither targets, nor incidentally prohibits or inhibits, the peaceful practice of any religion, and in particular, the practice of Islam by its adherents. Rather, this part criminalizes only the knowing provision of material support or resources…to designated sharia organizations…or to known sharia-jihad organizations with the intent of furthering their criminal behavior.

So abiding privately by Sharia (ie, being an observant Muslim) is fine.

But...

But when a Muslim starts practicing Islam with partners or in a group, they are forming a “Sharia organization”:

“Sharia organization” means any two (2) or more persons conspiring to support of acting in convert in support of, Sharia or in furtherance of the imposition of sharia…

That means, in Tennessee, a Muslim could not form a non-profit that operated a mosque, a religious charity, or any other organization that goes beyond practicing religion in solitude.

And more insane :

Furthermore, the standard for demonstrating adherence to Sharia is absurdly broad. The bill says subscribing to “Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali, Ja’afariya, or Salafi, as those terms are used by sharia adherents, is prima facie sharia without any further evidentiary showing.” Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i,and Hanbali are the only schools of Sunni Muslim jurisprudence. So following Sunni religious rules in concert with anyone else would be illegal.

The new version of the Tennessee bill maintains the minimum 15-year sentence for knowingly providing “material support or resources to a designated sharia organization.” However, if the support causes a death, the sentence becomes life imprisonment.

Basically practicing islam in Tennessee would be illegal if this bill passes... No way in hell this is constitutional.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion

IT ALSO APPLIES TO STATES LEGISLATURES....

Freaking scum in Tennessee... and I bet those ``lawmakers`` call themselves ``small government`` too uh?

while sharia has its place
stoning in the us does not

religion ruins and corrupts
to the core

but under our documents
they are free to believe

if passed
another notch

a world wide non religion
no idol but state

This is the same state where people set fire to a tractor that was being used to construct a mosque (Murfreesboro).

I wonder if Terry Jones (Koran burning pastor) and Westboro Baptist (god hates fags/military) will be moving there any time soon?

ETA: I suppose if this gets played up in the media enough it could make cities like Nashville a good place to stage a false flag attack...

Yeah that is crap. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. I think this prohibits people from practicaly, practicing Islam.

Oh, and btw, I am a christian, so not all christians are religious nuts, or intolerant of anyone elses religion.

Yes, instead of focusing on debt, we need to focus on stripping rights away from more american citizens. Was it not Tenessee that floated around secession on the basis of THIS federal government employing invasive laws? My my, looking right back into the mirror.

So what is it now?

You get criminalized for smoking something no worse than alchohol and tobacco on your OWN property.
You get criminalized for making your own decisions with other consenting adults.
You get criminalized for making your own decisions over your own body.

...and meanwhile the government holds right to invade upon your privacy in your own home.

People should be on the streets, but no.

Imagine, just imagine how much time and money we could be saving, how much debt we could prevent from focusing on the REAL issues, as opposed to invasive state bills such as this one. We waste money, time, resources and yet people continue to vote in the SAME politicians.

We get what we deserve.

reply to post by ReVoLuTiOn76


Don't forget right to assemble, as it deals with 2 or more coming together.

This could be a litmus test of sorts to see how acceptable the removal of certain rights are to the public at large. The "Sharia Law" angle has been hit upon so much that there is a fair amount of acceptance to curbing it in the US, particularly by the Christian fundamentalists.

But I think they forget that "First they came for..." poem, and may see it come to pass again if this law is allowed through.

I'm tired of the US, tired of the fear-mongering and petty squabbling/distractions while the clowns in charge keep wrecking things. (no offense to clowns. I like clowns. They make me laugh. )

But there is no problem with having
Jewish Law in America!


Beth Din of America

Beth Din of America is a rabbinical court serving affiliated and unaffiliated Jews, including the entire spectrum of the Orthodox Jewish community.

(1) “Sharia” means the set of rules, precepts, instructions, or edicts which are said to emanate directly or indirectly from the god of Allah or the prophet Mohammed and which include directly or indirectly the encouragement of any person to support the abrogation, destruction, or violation of the United States or Tennessee Constitutions, or the destruction of the national existence of the United States or the sovereignty of this state, and which includes among other methods to achieve these ends, the likely use of imminent violence. Any rule, precept, instruction, or edict arising directly from the extant rulings of any of the authoritative schools of Islamic jurisprudence of Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali, Ja’afariya, or Salafi, as those terms are used by sharia adherents, is prima facie sharia without any further evidentiary showing;

It actually clearly defines the context to be advocating actions that would subvert the state or federal constitution. The 'overly broad' list of schools is considered prima facie; if they are followed it allows for an investigation as to whether or not they are teaching a form of Sharia in violation of the new law.

www.capitol.tn.gov...

I do not support this bill, because I believe in individual freedom to an extent well beyond the constitution... but there is no need to tell half-truths and bend the facts because that just makes the author less credible.

reply to post by Vitchilo


Well the Constitution limits what Congress can do in this case. And also in this case, this is Tennessee so they are bound by their state constitution.

Regardless of whether or not I agree with this, this is the business of TN and her residents.

reply to post by TonyBravada

I do not support this bill, because I believe in individual freedom to an extent well beyond the constitution... but there is no need to tell half-truths and bend the facts because that just makes the author less credible.

Well if this bill passes, Muslims going around trying to convert people like Christians do everywhere would be illegal, because it would be seen as ``trying to convert people to sharia law``...anyone giving money to that organization would be a criminal. Which basically makes islam illegal in Tennessee, unless you stay at home and do nothing.

“Sharia organization” means any two (2) or more persons conspiring to support of acting in convert in support of, Sharia or in furtherance of the imposition of sharia…

And under this bill basically, all EXISTING mosques would be illegal...

It also nullifies the freedom of religion for muslims, right to peaceful assembly for muslims, ect...

This bill is all kinds of unconstitutional.

Those who wrote this bill are racists and bigots, they should just admit it.

Originally posted by Truther9111776
while sharia has its place
stoning in the us does not

...but electric chairs and lethal injections are fine?

reply to post by Vitchilo


No, your claim is clearly false. The excerpt is cut short because following (actually preceding in the proposed law) it defines what Sharia means in the context of that very short quote. "Promoting Sharia" only covers actions which are attempting to undermine US law. Promoting amputation for theft would be illegal. Most Mosques and other places of worship would be unaffected unless they have hard-line Sharia message; as far as I am aware most in the US do not.



"the encouragement of any person to support the abrogation, destruction, or violation of the United States or Tennessee Constitutions, or the destruction of the national existence of the United States or the sovereignty of this state, and which includes among other methods to achieve these ends, the likely use of imminent violence."

Originally posted by Vitchilo
reply to post by TonyBravada

 

It also nullifies the freedom of religion for muslims, right to peaceful assembly for muslims, ect...

This bill is all kinds of unconstitutional.

Those who wrote this bill are racists and bigots, they should just admit it.

Well I agree with the first half of your first sentence there. The second line has yet to be seen but I hope you are correct. The last line is tough to qualify. Bigots? It certainly appears so, but I don't see how racist can be derived as Islam encompasses more than Arabs and there are Arab Christians too...

reply to post by TonyBravada


Well we shall see if how they enforce it, but it doesn't really matter since this bill is unconstitutional.

It certainly appears so, but I don't see how racist can be derived as Islam encompasses more than Arabs and there are Arab Christians too...

Well racists because arabs and muslims are generally seen as ``brown people``...

reply to post by Vitchilo


The racism card is getting old. This is about banning Sharia Law, not Islam. Read the bill first before you put up drivel like this please.

There goes freedom of religion in america.. The founding fathers must be spinning in their graves with everything they worked to create being destroyed..

Good move. Now if they would only apply it to all religions we would be heading down the right road.
But I suspect TN is heavily christian so its just another example of one religion feeling threatened by another.
To believe that your god is responsible for the state of humans on this planet suggests that you should denounce him straight away, and forever.

Absolutely unconstitutional and not a chance in heck of this lasting through the Supreme Court.

Great news! - of course the 'religion of peace' will now declare that Tennesee belongs to 'Dar al harb' or the 'House of war' and thus an obligatory target of jihad for all Muslims.

reply to post by dizzie56


Racism is extremely old btw. You can't have Sharia law in the US, the US laws are soveriegn so maybe you be finding the truth instead of listening to wingnuts and chastizing others.

Again, sharia law CANNOT overule us laws. Quit falling for these lies. You are in no danger. This reminds me so much of McCarthyism anymore. There's an evil communist waiting behind every rock to take away your country. What a joke.