Referendum winning 49% to 27%

From Eric Dondero:

There are a number of libertarian-oriented initiatives on ballots nationwide this election year. They include: A major sales tax reduction in Massachusetts from 6% to 3%; an end to affirmative action hiring and for college admissions in Arizona; and, of course, the legalization of marijuana initiative in California.

But another libertarian-oriented initiative has received little media attention outside of the State of Oklahoma.

Brigitte Gabriel explains in an editorial at NewsOK, "Sharia law question merits support" Oct. 16:

The "Save Our State" amendment will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot and mandates that courts "rely on federal and state laws when deciding cases forbidding courts from looking at international law, or Sharia law."

Sharia law, in short, is a comprehensive, theo-political law system used in many Islamic countries including Iran that is based on precepts contained in the Quran and the hadith (the sayings and traditions of Mohammed). Under sharia law, women have few rights compared to men, freedom of speech is severely curtailed and freedom of religion is limited or nonexistent.

Critics across Oklahoma, including newspaper editorial boards, have dismissed the initiative as uneccessary. Gabriel cites a specific example for all the doubters:

Perhaps the most egregious example occurred last year in New Jersey. A Muslim woman sought a restraining order against her husband, who was beating and raping her several times a day. Remarkably, the judge refused to issue the order on the grounds that the husband was following his Islamic practices (sharia) and had thus committed no crime. Fortunately, a year later his ruling was overturned.

The Right on the forefront of protecting Women's Rights

Bobby Eberle of GOPUSA explains further:

The concerns of Sharia law being used as a basis for determining the outcome of court cases in the U.S. was strong enough for the Oklahoma legislature to take action. ABCNews.com reports reports that Oklahoma "is poised to become the first state in the nation to ban state judges from relying on Islamic law known as Sharia when deciding cases."

Sharia has gained a toehold in some western countries, notably Great Britain, where five sharia courts have been established to settle certain disputes among Muslims, with the government's blessing. The proposed Oklahoma amendment is aimed, in part, at "cases of first impression," legal disputes in which there is no law or precedent to resolve the matter at hand. In such cases, judges might look to laws or rulings in other jurisdictions for guidance. The proposed amendment would block judges in Oklahoma courts from drawing on sharia, or the laws of other nations, in such decisions.

If this law eliminates the possibility that a husband beating his wife could become an accepted practice in this country, then I'm all for it.

With 10 days left to go before the election, polls show the initiative winning with a large margin. From Fox News:

A poll by The Tulsa World in July found that 49 percent of voters support the amendment compared to 24 percent who opposed it and 27 percent who were undecided.

The measure won ballot placement by an overwhelming vote of the legislature, 82 to 10 in the House, and 41 to 2 in the Senate. The two chief sponsors of the legislation were Rep. Rex Duncan on the House side, and Sen. Anthony Sykes on the Senate side. Sykes is regarded as one of the most libertarian members of the legislature, as the main proponent for 10th Amendment States Rights legislation. (Reference: LR article June 7)