American Values and Sharia Law — Can They Coexist?
- Apr 13
- 5 min read
The easy answer: no.
Let's look at why.
American values we know. Liberty, individual rights, ownership, equality, self-governance, family, and the freedom to exercise one's faith as they choose. When we try to similarly define the values of Sharia law, it gets a bit more dicey. We won't paint Muslims with a broad brush. A few Muslim nations have more freedom and personal rights.
In contrast, others keep their citizenry under the strong thumb of dictatorial rule. Just like Christians, some Muslims are devout, some are cultural, and others are deeply radicalized. There are growing communities, isolated by design, in the US, attempting to create "no-go" zones and Sharia courts. This latter group is the concern Americans should be focused on.
You may well have American friends, professing Muslims, who embrace peace, American ideals, and values. Good. We've been told for decades how "peaceful" Islam is, and it's good to know examples of those who haven't taken the more extreme views of radical Islamic ideology. We know they're out there.
However, for too long, these good examples have been used to criticize those who recognize the creeping danger of extremists who approach their cities and states with a dark and radical Islamic agenda. This ideology often centers on the tenets of Sharia law. This religious and political legal system poses trouble for any country or citizenry that values liberty and justice.
What is Sharia Law?
It's important to understand some of the particulars – and why it cannot coexist with American values, our laws, and our freedoms. While there are some innocuous elements in the code, we'll look at regulations and punishments that we find most incompatible with American liberty and justice.
· Slander – If you falsely accuse someone of sexual misconduct, you could receive 80 lashes.
· Drinking – If you stop for an alcoholic beverage after work, you may get off easier with 40-80 lashes.
· Stealing – You could face amputation of your right hand.
· Adultery – We don't recommend fooling around – but if you do under Sharia, it's 100 lashes if you're not married, and death (by stoning) if you are.
· Apostasy – If you attempt to leave your Islamic faith, it is a crime and could bring the death penalty.
· Blasphemy – Speaking against Mohammad, Islam, or the Quran many times is also punishable by death.
· Domestic Violence – Some believe it's okay to 'discipline' one's wife. And raping her is not considered illegal, as she has a responsibility to fulfill her husband's requests.
· Value of Testimony – Along the lines above, the testimony of women is worth half a man's.
What part of that sounds like something America could stomach?
No, thank you!
Honor Killings
An estimated 5,000 to potentially 20,000 individuals are killed each year for a variety of offenses in predominantly Muslim cultures around the world. Most often, it's women and girls who are targeted by fathers and brothers when they are accused of bringing shame to the family.
It's hard to believe it happens here at all, but an estimated 23-27 honor killings happen each year in the US. These are individuals murdered by family members for shaming their families by leaving the faith, becoming too Westernized, or dressing too immodestly (as judged by strict religious guidelines), refusing an arranged marriage, or dating the wrong person. It's a shocking affront to life – and to the freedoms we expect in our great nation.
Sharia's Influence in the US
Has Sharia Law infiltrated America? Well, it depends on who you ask. Many deny it has at all.
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government held a hearing last month. "Sharia-Free America: Why Political Islam & Sharia Law Are Incompatible with the U.S. Constitution."
The chairman of that committee, Representative Chip Roy, opened the two-hour hearing with some chilling observations from his own state.
"Over the last few years, efforts to impose Sharia on American communities have taken off. And nowhere more than in my home state of Texas. In 2024, members of a Plano [TX] mosque sought to create their own 402-acre Islamic enclave governed by Sharia within the state of Texas. It was called the East Plano Islamic Center or 'EPIC.'" Those efforts have been blocked for now; however, Roy points to additional challenges in that state.
"EPIC is only one example of Sharia taking root in Texas. Shadow Islamic courts have also proliferated. One Dallas tribunal, for example, purports to make final judgments on legal disputes according to Islamic jurisprudence, placing Sharia law above binding state and federal laws…"
"Sheik Ustadh an imam from EPIC mosque in Texas preaches regularly that jihad against the non-Muslims and martyrdom is the highest cause of reward in Islam and he praises Hamas and other terror groups espousing the following, 'My brothers and sisters, we are going to die anyway so why don't we aim to die as a shahid [witness in Arabic, martyrdom in this context].'"
This is in Texas.
Arguments for and against the curtailing of Sharia's influence within that committee fell along party lines – the GOP against, with some Democrats testifying that Sharia in America doesn't really exist.
People can deny all they want, but a growing number of US states have seen the growing threat from this radical ideological danger and enacted bans. While some banned foreign or religious laws in general, some specifically named Sharia. A round of applause goes to Florida, Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and South Dakota.
"Sharia law and the imposition of Sharia law is contrary to the US Constitution…It is not about people as Muslims. It's about those who seek to impose a different belief system that is in direct conflict with the Constitution," said Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, at a US Capitol news conference in October.
A Government of the People, by the People, and For the People
At the end of the day, our founders were wise and measured in their desire to create a government that would be free of religious control while also guaranteeing maximum freedom for its citizens.
We were offered freedom to worship as we wish; you can follow Christ, Mohammed, or Buddha – or refrain from religion altogether. We marry as we like or remain single. Raise our children as we choose. Our legal system seeks to achieve maximum justice with minimal bias. It is based on the rule of law, not a mandate from any religious sect. Smells like the crisp, clean air of American freedom!
This is why we must guard the freedoms and values against radical ideologies and the influence of all who would come against America's founding principles. As moms, we pray, we speak up, and we lock arms, standing in the gap for our kids, families, and the future of our nation.
Podcast Note: This week, we welcomed Isik Alba, a ministry leader, who, at just 12 years old, believed her highest calling was to pursue jihad and die as a suicide bomber. But after coming to the United States, she discovered Christianity — and her life was completely changed. Her story is gripping, courageous, and overflowing with hope.
