January 11, 2012
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf Commends Appeal Courts Blocking Oklahoma Ban on Shariah Law
For Immediate Release
Susan Assadi, Gitenstein & Assadi PR
800 922 8792, susan@assadi.com
New York City –January 12, 2012 —The 10th circuit federal court of appeals ruled unconstitutional the Oklahoma amendment to ban Islamic Law. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Chairman Cordoba Initiative says “What a wonderful declaration for religious freedom in the US with the federal court of appeals recognizing that this amendment violated freedom of religion and violated the constitutional rights of Muslims who practice Shariah law.”
Imam Feisal continues “Shariah, Islamic Law, is generally and specifically compatible with the American Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and political system.” Imam Feisal has written extensively on this topic including this article Justification and Theory of Sharia Law: How the American Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Constitution are Consistent with Islamic Jurisprudence for the University of St. Thomas Law Journal in 2010.
This ruling on January 10th is a tribute to the protection provided to citizens by the First Amendment of the Constitution protecting Freedom of Religion. This process started with one individual calling for his civil and religious rights and challenging this amendment.
“I would like to express my sincerest congratulations to the Appeals Court and to the framers of the US Constitution for protecting our Freedom of Religion in the First Amendment. Recently we have heard many examples of bigotry and Islamophobic comments, this ruling is a reminder of the rights upheld in the US Constitution for all citizens,” adds Imam Feisal.
Cordoba Initiative points to another important example of combating global religious intolerance. In December the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was able to get their resolution 66/167 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. This resolution aims to combat religious intolerance, and calls upon states to respect the rights of individuals to practice their religious faiths free from persecution, suspicion, hatred, and violence. “By adopting this measure, the UN demonstrates its commitment to social justice and its active role as a true, unifying global institution,” continues Imam Feisal.
“The ruling by the court of appeals in Oklahoma and the UN resolution are in sync with the mission and values of the Cordoba Initiative. Since 2004, the Cordoba Initiative has worked to build a multi-national, multi-faith community dedicated to improving understanding and building trust among people of all cultures and religions. The work of the Cordoba Initiative is fueled by the enthusiasm of individuals of diverse religious, cultural and national backgrounds and we strongly support the ruling of the 10th circuit to block the Oklahoma ban on Shariah law and the UN resolution 66/167 as a step toward a more just and peaceful world.”
Imam Feisal has written several articles on Shariah Law and a book Islam: A Sacred Law published in 2000 and has a new book Moving The Mountain, forthcoming in May 2012 from Free Press.
About Cordoba Initiative: Cordoba Initiative is an independent, multi-faith, and multi-national project whose objective is to heal the relationship between the Islamic world and America/the West. In this capacity, Imam Feisal and his organization provides innovative solutions to those areas where conflict between Islamic and Western communities undermines local and global security.
