EXCLUSIVE: GOP Congressman to Introduce Resolution Condemning Sharia Law, Wants House Vote Before Midterms

Co-founder of the Sharia Free America Caucus, Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, will introduce a resolution on Thursday condemning Sharia law and aims to get a House vote on the resolution before the November midterms.

Titled “Denouncing Sharia Law in the United States,” the resolution obtained by the Daily Signal will reaffirm that the “primary role of elected officials in the United States of America is to provide for the security and protection of its citizens as well as preserving the liberties provided to them by the Nation’s Founders.”

The resolution adds that the U.S. Constitution is the only rule of law permissible in the United States, and that “any legal or political doctrine that places itself above the Constitution threatens the stability and unity of the Nation.”

Language of a press release obtained by the Daily Signal said Self will file the resolution on Thursday in an attempt to deny “Sharia law and any competing legal framework” the ability to undermine the American system.

The resolution claims that “Sharia does not recognize the right to liberty as evidenced by forcing submission to Allah over individual autonomy; restricting religious freedom and free speech; no respect for gender equality concerning the rights of women, those who live unapproved lifestyles, and the lengthy list of characteristics for which United States law does not permit discrimination, and restrictions on those under Sharia, including diet and social activities.”

“Whereas the supremacy claims of Sharia have proven to put women, dissidents, and non-Muslims into danger from the consequences resulting from Sharia’s unequal legal standards and community-enforced norms, exposing individuals to pressures that undermine the safety and rights guaranteed in the Constitution,” the resolution continues.

Co-sponsors of the resolution—including Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz.; Randy Weber, R-Texas; Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.; Buddy Carter, R-Ga.; and Riley Moore, R-W.Va.—told the Daily Signal that they stand behind Self’s effort because the rise of Sharia law in the United States could erode “our God-given freedoms.”

Self’s introduction of the resolution comes after controversial Islamic complexes, such as the East Plano Islamic Center in Texas, which critics say could impose Sharia law over their properties, have emerged throughout his home state.

“I am proud to join Congressman Self’s concurrent resolution denouncing Sharia law and opposing its implementation anywhere in the United States,” Weber told the Daily Signal. “We cannot stand by and watch while foreign ideologies threaten American democracy, as we are seeing on Ali Akbar Court in Irving, Texas, and in ‘Muslim-only’ communities across the country.”

Crane told the Daily Signal that the “draconian” system he witnessed while serving in the Middle East will unravel the moral fabric of American society and degrade the U.S. Constitution.

“The American people deserve to know where their representatives stand on this rising threat, and this resolution puts every member on the record for all to see,” Crane continued. “I applaud Rep. Keith Self for his tireless work as co-chair of the Sharia Free America Caucus. We will continue working proactively to spare our nation the consequences we’ve already seen play out across Europe.”

Gosar echoed his colleagues remarks, and told the Daily Signal that “no ideology or system of law can supersede the Constitution or the individual liberties it guarantees.“

Moore told the Daily Signal that “America has one Constitution, one system of laws, and one standard of justice,” and that he is “proud to stand with Congressman Self in making it clear that Sharia has no place as a competing legal authority in the United States and in defending the rule of law and the freedoms that generations of Americans have fought, sacrificed, and prayed to preserve.”

Self’s office told the Daily Signal that it remains hopeful the resolution will soon be brought to a vote on the House floor.