Anti-Sharia Law Bill Dies in Florida Senate
A Florida bill that would have barred applying Muslim sharia law in family or divorce court matters, has reportedly died in the state Senate.
The measure, which experts warned could also impact Jewish divorce issues, was never brought up for a vote in the closing hours of the Senate’s legislative session, according to local reports.
The bill overwhelmingly passed the state house last week and seemed headed for easy passage in the Republican-controlled Senate.
But Muslim and other groups lobbied leaders to hold off on passing the bill, which barred application of “foreign” laws in divorce or family court matters.
Although the bill did not mention sharia law, proponents are part of a national movement against what they see as influence of the traditional Muslim legal code.
Because of the bill’s vague wording, some Jewish leaders also worried that the bill could prevent Jewish couples from using a religious court, or beth din, to mediate divorces.
Several Jewish groups spoke out against the bill, although Jewish lawmakers in the House were divided. The bill is dead for now, but supporters note it could be brought up again in future sesssions.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.
If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.
Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
