Landmark Lawsuit Pits The Sharia Regime Against The Constitution
Ben Weingarten Visit on Twitter@bhweingarten
A lawsuit alleges that the Muslim-majority suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, has systematically discriminated against Christians and Jews.
On Sept. 17, the American Freedom Law Center filed a landmark lawsuit on behalf of a Dearborn, Michigan, resident, alleging that the Arab-majority Detroit suburb, led by Muslim officials, has promoted Islam and discriminated against and fostered hostility towards Christians and Jews — in violation of the Constitution’s establishment clause.
The details of the case brought by my courageous colleague, Federalist Senior Legal Correspondent Margot Cleveland, are shocking. She alleges that Dearborn’s leaders have endorsed glitzy Ramadan displays and advertised an iftar dinner with public funds. Conversely, they have allegedly ignored Cleveland’s requests for comparable commemorations for Christian and Jewish holidays and sidestepped concerns over public rallies glorifying jihadism. They have also berated a Christian pastor and fellow constituent. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud called Pastor Ted Barham a “bigot” and “Islamophobe” who “is not welcome here” when he questioned the city’s renaming of a city street for an avowed Hamas and Hezbollah supporter.
The complaint cites past instances where courts have found the city to have discriminated against non-Muslims.
Having petitioned her elected leaders to treat all religions equally, only to face stonewalling, Cleveland has taken them to court in defense of her and her neighbors’ sacred rights.
A victory for AFLC could end such discrimination and set a powerful precedent. It would send a message to other like-minded officials nationwide. Cleveland’s complaint should also serve as a clarion call for Americans about the potential consequences of Islamization.
Islamization in the U.S.
The suit comes amid a post-9/11 surge in Islamic immigration to America, as American Muslims increasingly seek not only accommodations for their religious and cultural practices but assimilation of others into their worldview, and as Muslim mega-donors, leaders, and sometimes terror-tied institutions push for their co-religionists to secure greater political power.
The case raises questions about whether non-Muslims in other increasingly Muslim locales will get the Dearborn treatment too. The court’s response will reveal to Americans whether the law will provide refuge should we find our rights infringed.
The suit claims that “acts, customs, policies, practices, and/or procedures that favor Muslims and discriminate against Christians and Jews” reflect the mayor’s “message … that Christians and Jews are not welcome … and are, indeed, second-class citizens.” [Emphasis added.]
Islam is a proselytizing religion. To bring the world under Allah’s command, it calls for employing means including persuasion, subversion, coercion, and violent jihad. Allah’s rule takes the form of sharia law, governing not only religious practices but all aspects of life, public and private. Sharia abides neither freedom of religion nor speech, brooks no dissent, subjugates women and minorities, and imposes a host of illiberal rules.
Persecution of Non-Muslims
The charge of second-class citizenry is poignant given the plight of non-Muslims living under Muslim rule.
Historically, in accordance with Islamic doctrine, Muslims imposed Islam on infidels under threat of the sword. Rulers designated recalcitrant non-believers, who were spared a bloody death, as dhimmis, second-class citizens. Their masters levied a special jizya tax on them, prevented them from freely worshipping, and persecuted them.
Today, across the Middle East and Africa, Christians in Muslim lands face persecution. The Islamic world is rife with Jew-hatred — buttressed by the religion’s core texts.
In Europe, dhimmitude, a term coined by Cairo-born scholar Bat Ye’or to describe the inferior status of non-Muslims under Muslim rule, is arguably evident. Amid a mass influx of Muslim immigrants, governments have assimilated into their system, imposing de facto sharia speech codes by punishing those who blaspheme Islam under the guise of “hate speech” regulations.
While leftists and Islamic activists have sought to weaponize charges of “Islamophobia” against Americans who speak openly and honestly about Islam in a bid to silence them, the First Amendment has to date held — albeit while Islamic supremacists have exploited it to advance their cause.