Can We/Should We Delegitimize Islam?

As Islam makes disturbing inroads into nearly every aspect of American life, the legitimacy of discussing it solely as a religion is coming into question. Islam has been practiced not only as a religion, but has also been embraced by its most ardent practitioners as a political and legal system.

We have seen Muslims enter every level of our political system, from boards of education to city, state and even national government. A question arises: can a Muslim who adheres to Sharia law—a legal framework that commands strict application to every aspect of their lives—exist in a country that is bound by our Constitution? The potential for not only conflict but also for Sharia law superseding American law must be seriously considered.

Clarifying the nature of Sharia is key to this understanding. Muslim scholars have debated for years whether Islam is only a religion, or if it is also a political and legal system. The majority of Muslim scholars believe that it is both, while reformers state that Islam is only a religion and that Sharia law does not need to be closely followed.

At some point, extremists will probably win out, due to the influx of Muslims from other countries.

Part of the problem is that some mainstream Muslims believe there is no conflict between accepting both Sharia and the American Constitution. For example, Texas has one of the largest Muslim populations in the country, and is among the places where the practice of sharia is being advocated:

Shaykh Uthman ibn Farooq laid out a vision for an Islamic America during a livestreamed event at the Sufaraa Center in McKinney, Texas, last week. [snip] ‘We love this country,’ Farooq said. ‘We want good for this country. And that’s why we want Islam for this country, ’cause we think that’s the best thing. And we’re not going to be ashamed of that.’ He went on to argue that Muslims are fully within their constitutional rights to adhere to Sharia law. ‘We’re Muslims. That’s our identity, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The Constitution of this country protects that. That’s our right to believe in the Sharia. Yes, I said it. That’s our right.’

Also in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has directed law enforcement to investigate the establishment of Sharia courts in Dallas. In another part of Texas, an imam protested against and threatened a business because it was selling pork products and other products that violated Sharia.

The question that no one seems to be asking is, what happens when there is a conflict between Sharia and our Constitution? There are many grounds for conflict, such as honor killings (killing women who have relationships with non-Muslims), death to apostates, and corporal punishments such as stoning, lashing and amputation of limbs for the “crimes” of blasphemy, theft and adultery.

As the Muslim population increases, particularly with Muslims from foreign countries, they are also aligning with our own progressives. The left sees them as allies in the battle to destroy our country. They don’t realize, however, that the Muslims will abandon them as they continue to gain power:

Observers can easily infer that the sentiments of [Ilhan] Omar and [Rashida]Tlaib, the deceptive narrative-weaving of Mamdani, and the criminal actions taken to fund jihad by vast swaths of the foreign-born Somali enclave in Minnesota are further evidence that for many Muslims the interests of Islam concretely supersede the well-being of American citizens and fidelity to the United States Constitution. The common thread of their participation in the processes and institutions of the republic appears to be the degradation of Western principles in favor of Islamic advancement.

As Muslims become more powerful, they will realize (and may already know) that while their desire for totalitarian power aligns with the left, the two groups are incompatible. Western values are truly foreign to many Muslims, and they will abandon the left as those differences become more obvious.

How do we solve this dilemma? Will Muslims accept the government requiring modifications to Islam so that religious practice does not violate our Constitution? Should we ban the importation of practicing Muslims? Or will the radical Muslim community finally become members of our bodies of governance in sufficient numbers to give them the power to change the very fabric of this country?

Congress must take this situation seriously and act. They need to determine the degree to which Islam has already gained power in our country and take steps to keep our Constitution the superior law of the land. The enclaves filled with foreign-born Muslims must be investigated, especially considering how the Minneapolis Somali Community established its enormous fraud network, and those engaged in fraud should be deported. Congress should hold hearings to determine the degree to which the First Amendment and our other legal mandates have been violated.

If the investigations confirm the level of incursion that is suspected, we need to question our criteria for allowing Muslims to enter this country and become citizens. Do they need to be screened for their allegiance to the Constitution? Are they prepared to accept the Constitution's rule above the Quran?

Will Congress have the resolve to deal with this complicated issue? The survival of our country as a Constitutional Republic may depend on it.

[originally published in American Thinker]