Court: Oklahoma can't enforce Sharia law ban

By Robert Boczkiewicz | Reuters – 15 hrs ago

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DENVER (Reuters) - A federal appeals court upheld an injunction against a voter-approved ban on Islamic law in Oklahoma on Tuesday, saying it likely violated the U.S. Constitution by discriminating against religion.

A three-member panel of the Denver-based U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the rights of plaintiff Muneer Awad, a Muslim man living in Oklahoma City, likely would be violated if the ban on Sharia law takes effect.

The decision upholds the ruling of a lower federal court.

"While the public has an interest in the will of the voters being carried out ... the public has a more profound and long-term interest in upholding an individual's constitutional rights," the appeals court said in a 37-page written decision.

The Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations welcomed the ruling, calling it "a victory for the Constitution and for the right of all Americans to freely practice their faith."

Oklahoma's "Save Our State Amendment," which was approved by 70 percent of state voters in 2010, bars Oklahoma state courts from considering or using Sharia law.

The lawsuit challenging the measure was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Awad, who is director of the Oklahoma chapter of CAIR.

A federal judge in Oklahoma City issued a court order in November 2010 barring the measure from taking effect while the case is under review, finding a substantial likelihood that Awad would prevail on the merits.

The Council said the Oklahoma amendment is among 20 similar proposed laws introduced in state legislatures nationwide.

Defenders of the amendment say they want to prevent foreign laws in general, and Islamic Sharia law in particular, from overriding state or U.S. laws.

But foes of the Oklahoma measure, also called State Question 755, have argued that it stigmatizes Islam and its adherents and violates the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment prohibition against the government favoring one religion over another.

State Senator Anthony Sykes, one of the measure's sponsors, called the decision an attempt "to silence the voice of 70 percent of Oklahoma voters. At some point we have to decide whether this is a country of, by and for the judges, or of, by and for the people."

Opponents also say it could nullify wills or legal contracts between Muslims because they incorporate by reference specific elements of Islamic prophetic traditions.

KILLING OF MUSLIMS IN SOUTHERN NIGERIA

10th January, 2012 PRESS RELEASE:  KILLING OF MUSLIMS AND BURNING OF MOSQUES IN THE SOUTH Reports reaching the headquarters of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) affirm that many Muslims have been killed in the past few days in Edo and Delta States. Some have been burned to ashes, others have been maimed. Just yesterday, Monday 9th January 2012, three Muslims were reported killed during the attack on Benin Central Mosque alone and the mosque itself was allegedly burned down. Reports say two mosques have been bombed in Sapele alone. Thousands have embarked on an exodus to their states of origin in the face of threats and ultimatums issued by groups in Southern Nigeria against Northerners and Muslims. MURIC is deeply disturbed by this ugly development. In the same manner that we denounce the barbarism of Boko Haram, we condemn the perpetrators of animosities against Muslims and Northerners and warn that the carnage must stop. We are perturbed that men of Edo police command failed to stop the burning of Benin Central Mosque and the killing of Muslims in the same mosque in the hands of anti-subsidy protesters when the police are supposed to be monitoring the movements of protesters.  The Muslim Rights Concern does not issue threats. Neither does it engage in violence. Our avowed motto is 'Dialogue, Not Violence'. Unless people are out for mischief, the whole world knows that Muslims and Northerners resident in the South are neither members of Boko Haram nor are they sympathetic to the dissident group. They have also never been known to engage in any act of violence. It is an open fact that Muslims are equally not safe in the hands of Boko Haram and the latter has killed several Muslim clerics.  Therefore any attack targeted at Northerners or Muslims resident in the South is not only misplaced but it is a miscarriage of justice. Revenge is a square peg. Justice is a round hole. They are parallel lines that can never meet. We therefore demand immediate and unconditional halt of hostilities against Northerners and Muslims in the South. We fear that unless the police and other security agencies are alive to their responsibilities, Southern Nigeria may be plunged into a crisis of unimaginable proportion.  We demand effective protection for all non-Southerners resident in the South. Equal protection must also be given to all non-Northerners resident in the North. We charge religious leaders on both divides to caution their followers and to preach lessons capable of healing wounds. Mutual forgiveness is the way forward. The role of the press is central at this critical stage. MURIC urges the Fourth Estate of the realm to discharge its duties fairly and responsibly. Finally, we urge Christians and Muslims in the South West to maintain their traditional neighbourliness, to love and to forgive, to tolerate and share in order to put agents of destruction to eternal shame. The attention of the international community, particularly the United Nations, is being called to the killing of Muslims and the bombing and burning of mosques in Southern Nigeria. Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

BOKO HARAM: IS IT ABOUT MUSLIM GRIEVANCES?

6th January, 2012 PRESS RELEASE: BOKO HARAM: IS IT ABOUT MUSLIM GRIEVANCES?   Boko Haram Thursday attacked a branch of the Deeper Life Bible Church in Gombe, killing six worshippers including the wife of the pastor, Johnson Tauro, and injuring ten others. The affected branch of the church is located in Nasarawo district of Gombe town, which is also the capital of Gombe State.   We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) condemn this barbaric aggression. Places of worship should be held in reverence. The attack is therefore sacriledgious. We denounce Boko Haram's violent approach particularly its attacks on rival religious targets. MURIC affirms clearly, unequivocally and unambiguously that Boko Haram is not fighting for Nigerian Muslims. The Qur'an does not teach aggression. Muslims are only permitted to defend themselves according to Qur'an 3:90-93. We call on Nigerians not to view the satanic acts of Boko Haram as representative of actions of Nigerian Muslims. This is the handiwork of a few misinformed, misguided elements and disgruntled elements.   MURIC charges the security agencies to effectively identify and isolate the Boko Haram sect in order to put an end to its excesses. We affirm that Boko Haram has become a huge embarrassment for Muslims in the country.   Nonetheless, we jog the memory of Nigerians and ask all stakeholders to ponder over the numerous demands and agitations of law-abiding Muslims over the decades. Whereas those demands were legitimate and presented with civility and decorum, they were always confronted with tornadoes of threats and blackmail. The Nigerian minority elite class (who should know better) always wrongfully and conspiratorially accused Muslims of attempting to Islamize Nigeria whereas Nigeria is already a Christianized country and all the Muslims are asking for is the creation of an equilibrium.   Successive Nigerian government is neck-deep in this conspiracy of Islamophobia. Government's deafening silence over Muslim demands gave the impression that there was no hope. The average Nigerian Muslim today has become cynical of the system. It is our belief that the frustrations felt by Muslims over the years concerning the open contempt and ridicule which always greeted their legitimate demands led to the emergence of the Boko Haram phenomenon.   Post-Nigerian independence inherited a political, legal, educational and socio-economic climate that was Christian-compliant but totally anti-Islam. All calls for a review of this lopsided arrangement to make it all embracing and truly democratic fell on deaf ears because the status quo favoured the Christians and the elite. Nobody cared to listen to the Muslims. Nigeria's democracy is therefore a big fraud. The Western axis of the Nigerian press has also been a major player in this Islamophobia. Every available evidence points to the persistence of an asymmetrical press. Muslims are more often than not denied the right of response and participation.   For the avoidance of doubt, some of the demands of Nigerian Muslims over the years include work-free Friday as parity for work-free Sunday which is in favour of Christians only; hijab as part of school uniform for Muslim girls; the teaching of Islamic Religion in the South West as Muslim children are being forced to take Bible Knowledge in public schools; return of Arabic to the naira; introduction of civil Shari'ah in the South West; the banning of preaching inside commercial buses; banning of any loudspeaker noise whose duration is longer than ten minutes in all places of worship;  approval for female Muslim bankers, nurses, police, etc to use hijab (Muslim women in hijab are currently being denied employment in many professions in Nigeria); etc.   It is our considered opinion that although its approach may be wrong, the Boko Haram experience is another dimension of the pent-up anger and frustration felt by Nigerian Muslims. Boko Haram may have been expressing its opposition to the status quo in its own way. While condemning Boko Haram's violent propensity, we believe the time is now ripe for a holistic consideration of the demands of Muslims which have always been swept under the carpet. MURIC hereby adds its voice to the deafening call for a Sovereign National Conference to address these and many other issues.         Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

RELEASE DETAINED PROTESTERS

3rd January, 2012 PRESS RELEASE: RELEASE DETAINED ANTI-SUBSIDY PROTESTERS   Men of the Nigerian Police brutally engaged activists protesting against the removal of oil subsidy yesterday in Abuja and Kano. Several activists were detained while some of the protesters sustained injuries in the stampede as a result of teargas fired at them by the police. In Kano, a journalist with the Daily Trust was arrested along with protesters.   The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is deeply disturbed by the high-handedness of Nigeria's security agents. This brutal handling depicts the Nigerian police as badly trained, inefficient and anti-people. Our police force has failed to learn from the civilized approach of their peers in Western countries. It is on record that Occupy Wall Street protesters were tolerated for weeks before the United States' police moved in to dismantle their camps. The fact that the Nigerian Police resorted to the use of force on anti-fuel subsidy protesters exposes them as intolerant, infantile and trigger-happy.   The arrest of the Daily Trust journalist is an affront on the ethics of the police calling. It is laughable that our policemen cannot separate the wheat from the chaff, the plaintiff from the accused and the witness from the suspect. The average Nigerian is constrained to interpret this as further proof of the insecurity in the country and the absence of the true mechanisms of democracy. This assault on protesters who were merely appending their signatures to a protest register opened at the venue confirms the suspicion that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is jittery.   MURIC asserts that the protests against the removal of fuel subsidy are justifiable as long as government has no mandate of the people to do what it has done. The debate over the issue has just begun. It is also a betrayal of trust because it was never mentioned during President Jonathan's campaign. To that extent subsidy is a fraud. Nigerians did not vote for fuel subsidy. It is therefore immoral, unjustifiable and provocative. By removing fuel subsidy at a time when government has not implemented minimum wage, Jonathan has stabbed the Nigerian people in the back.   We therefore express our full support for the current protests as long as they are peaceful. However, we urge the organizers to bear in mind the safety of the general public. Protests must be arranged in such a manner that leaves no room for hijacking by riff-raffs who are most likely to turn violent thereby visiting hardship on innocent citizens.   We charge the police to be civil in their handling of the situation. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees freedom of association and freedom of expression. MURIC will work in tandem with the rest of the Nigerian civil society to ensure that exuberant security agents who violate Allah-given and fundamental rights of protesters will be made to account for their actions.   We warn the Federal Government to take soldiers off the streets during anti-subsidy protests. Democracies must steer off Gestapo-style tactics. Soldiers have no business in non-violent protests.   Finally, MURIC demands the immediate and unconditional release of all detained protesters including Dino Melaye and the Daily Trust journalist. Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

NEW YEAR MESSAGE

1st January, 2012 NEW YEAR MESSAGE: MUTUAL FORGIVENESS IS THE WAY FORWARD   The Nigerian nation experienced ugly and tragic incidents in the past year. The most harrowing being the Boko Haram phenomenon. One of the most damaging attacks of the sect was the Christmas-day suicide bombing at St. Theressa Church, Madala in Niger State in which about 35 people perished. This singular attack, heinous and reprehensible as it is, has the potential of igniting a religious war.   The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) strongly believes that such chaotic situation is exactly the major objective of the Boko Haram attackers. Their desire is to set Christians against Muslims in a war of attrition. With Liberia, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan on our minds, we shudder at the thought of pushing Nigeria that far. The consequences of such a scenario are simply unthinkable. No side should imagine the possibility of an easy run-over. What is likely to happen is heavy toll on both sides, both human and material until an innate killer fatigue compels us all to ask: Why have we done this to ourselves?   Neither should the Nigerian government contemplate the involvement of foreign powers in the Boko Haram saga. America and France have offered to intervene but their involvement will complicate matters for Nigeria because they are not acceptable to all parties. Like their counterparts all over the world, the Muslims of Nigeria do not trust Western powers and do not see them as capable of creating a level playing ground for all. There is also no gainsaying the fact that Western powers are Christian nations. They cannot be expected to be fair in this matter.   This is why we must start by cautioning ourselves before it is too late. The Boko Haram sect has claimed that the Christmas day attack was in retaliation for the mass murder of Muslims in Jos on the day they were celebrating Id al-Fitr earlier in the year. A dangerous ding-dong affair has been set off and it must be nipped in the bud now. Unless the leaders act fast, mosques will be bombed in retaliation for bombed churches, families will be wiped out to revenge the elimination of families. This may go on ad infinitum because no side can completely wipe out the other no matter how hard they try.   Already the Egbesu group of the Delta region has claimed responsibility for the bombing of an Arabic school in which six children were injured. The group has also threatened to kill any Muslim found in the South. Tantrums are flying from both the Jamaat Nasril Islam (JNI) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The latter has refused to accept the condemnation of Boko Haram by Muslim leaders in spite of the fact that Muslim leaders went as far as visiting those injured at the Madala blast.   MURIC appeals to all religious leaders to behave in loco parentis. Responsible leadership demands manifestation of high level of maturity and a good control of temper. This is the time to douse tension. Religious leaders must avoid statements capable of inflaming passions. They must keep reminding their followership of the true teachings of love, tolerance and forgiveness which are replete in both the Bible and the Qur'an.   Finally, MURIC appeals to the press to be more alive to its role as the Fourth Estate of the Realm. Nigeria cannot afford the sensationalisation of religious and ethnic clashes. The future of this country lies more in the hands of men of the pen and unless journalists caution themselves, the Nigerian nation is living between two wars. Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

CHRISTMAS DAY BOMBING IS UNISLAMIC

26th December, 2011 PRESS RELEASE:  CHRISTMAS DAY BOMBING IS UNISLAMIC Multiple bomb blasts marred the glamour of Christmas day yesterday in many parts of Northern Nigeria. The blasts occurred in two churches near Abuja and in some other places causing huge death toll and leaving several wounded. The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is shocked and petrified by this development. We are saddened and nonplussed by this complete lack of respect for places of worship and an incomprehensible and insatiable thirst for human blood. We strongly condemn these dastardly acts. The attacks are barbaric, Satanic and absolutely unIslamic.  The timing of the attacks is equally alarming, reprehensible and preposterous. The attackers cannot claim that they were revenging the attack on Muslims in Jos during the last Id al-Fitr on August 30th 2011 which left many Muslims dead because Christians celebrating Christmas earlier on December 25, 2010 were the first to be killed in bomb explosions. Nothing in the scriptures of Islam justifies this kind of attack. We therefore assert clearly, unequivocally and unambiguously that Boko Haram is not fighting for Nigerian Muslims. MURIC wishes to alert the Federal Government, the security agencies and the generality of Nigerians about the real motive of the planners of the Christmas day bombings. The bombings are designed to ignite religious war between Christians and Muslims in the whole country. They wish to create mutual suspicion, complete chaos and a total breakdown of law and order. We therefore charge the adherents of the two main religions in Nigeria (Christianity and Islam) to ignore the irrational provocations of Boko Haram. Christians and Muslims must continue to forge greater unity for the progress of the country. We must not succumb to the pressure of advocatus diaboli in our midst. Finally, we urge the leaders of the two main religions in the country to publicly address their supporters and organize joint rallies and programmes. We implore religious organizations to sensitize their members on the need for religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence via public lectures, seminars and symposia. We warn Muslim youths against joining the rampaging sect. Security agents must take urgent proactive steps to protect minority religious and ethnic groups in various parts of the country against reprisal attacks. Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

24th December, 2011 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE:  DROP THE IDEA OF REMOVAL OF SUBSIDY Christians all over the world will mark the birth of Jesus tomorrow 25th December, 2011. The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) felicitates with the body of Christ in Nigeria in particular and the rest of the world in general. While there is cause for celebration, there is also every reason to engage in sober reflections. There is cause for celebration because Jesus was not born into the world in vain, neither did he live a sinful life. He pursued the goal of his coming with vigour, patience and endurance. His life was replete with noble deeds, simplicity and humility. He eschewed waywardness, greed and violence. He blessed those that cursed him and forgave those who offended him. It is for these reasons that we celebrate him today. In the same vein this is a season for sober reflections, particularly among Nigerians. We must ponder over our manner of following Jesus and how well we emulate him. This is the period when we must look inward for some self-examination. We must ask ourselves if we are fulfilling the wish of God who created us.  Are we living a life devoid of sin? Are we sure that we are not responsible for the calamities befalling our dear nation? How much patience and endurance do we exhibit? Are we prepared to perform noble deeds for our country Nigeria without asking for anything in return? Do we not crave material things of this world at the expense of the Hereafter? Do we love our neighbours genuinely and wish for them what we wish for ourselves? Do we forgive those who offend us? In other words are we like Jesus? MURIC seizes the opportunity of the yuletide to demand that our leaders engage in soul-searching at this period. Nigerian leaders must ask themselves what type of leaders they are. Which of the problems facing the citizens have they been able to solve? Is it electricity, inflation, poverty, security, health or education? Instead of bringing suffering, Jesus brought relief. Our leaders must answer the question: Do you want to be like Jesus? If their answer is positive, they must immediately drop the idea of removal of subsidy and evolve other means of ameliorating people's suffering.  Finally, Nigerians must come together. We must sink ethnic and religious differences. It is high time we laid emphasis on our common goals in order to forge greater unity and take this country to El Dorado. Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D), Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), 234-818-211-9714 E-mail: muslimrightsconcern@yahoo.co.uk              muslimrights@gmail.com Website: www.muric.net Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern           Be just Justice is the soul of peace No one can deny one and have the other Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace