The rising tide of anti-Muslim bigotry has reached the floor of the Florida state legislature, which is considering a new law that would bar state courts from considering any "foreign law, legal code or system" in arbitrations in family court, and divorce proceedings. This bill is targeted at Sharia law but Jewish leaders are also worried that it would bar settlements that use beit din in Orthodox Jewish divorce settlements.
I am also wondering if this law would apply in anyway to decisions that consider canon law? But, whether it does or not, those of us concerned about religious liberty should not be shy about standing up for our Muslim and Jewish brothers and sisters whose right to religious liberty is the same as ours. And, the fact that this bill is being pushed by Republicans gives the Church the opportunity to demonstrate that its concern for religious liberty is not a partisan wedge issue to spark a fight with the Obama administration but a principled concern for the nature of American society and culture. I look forward to hearing Bishop Lori address the issue when he next speaks on the topic of religious liberty and hope the Florida Catholic Conference is loud and noisy in opposition to this horrific piece of legislation.
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