This election cycle, we've heard plenty about the "threat of sharia" to American culture, but noting about how Muḥammad would vote the issues. What does Islamic law have to say about the federal deficit, tax-cuts, gay marriage and the other hot-button issues that President Obama and Gov. Romney have been fighting about so vehemently?
First, why is sharia talk important? It has featured in the Republican campaigns since the beginning, and many state campaigns as well. The myth told is that "sharia law" might be creeping into our system. For example, last year, former Republican presidential candidates Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum signed anti-sharia pledges, citing fears of its "totalitarian control." Herman Cain kept up the fight against sharia, noting even after meeting with American Muslims to apologize for "any comments that may have betrayed my commitment to the U.S. Constitution and the freedom of religion guaranteed by it," that "[s]ome people would infuse Sharia Law in our courts system if we allow it. I honestly believe that." Just this August, the Republican Party adopted an amendment to its platform banning the "use of foreign law by U.S. Courts in interpreting our Constitution and laws ... [or] in State courts' adjudication of criminal and civil matters," in reference to the perceived threat of Islamic law.
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