Sharia Law, Part 2 – Legal Status

Honor killing victim Romina Ashrafi, copyrighted image used in the Wikipedia article “Murder of Romina Ashrafi” at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Romina_Ashrafi, Original Publication and Immediate Source https://x.com/YasamanFlower/status/1271983832862994433/photo/1 (Non-Free Use Rationale as identification of specific individual, now deceased, for whom there is no known representation under a free license)

In Europe, there is a growing acceptance of Sharia law, the legal system of Islam.

• In Austria, a Viennese court has ruled that Sharia Law is legally valid [1A].
• In Germany, Sharia law is used to rule on domestic conflicts between Muslims [1B].
• In England, dozens of Sharia Councils have existed for years.  A Muslim Arbitration Tribunal there, recognized by Britain’s Arbitration Act of 1996, allows civil disputes to be resolved based on Sharia [1C].
• According to the European Court of Human Rights, criticism of Islam is not protected as free speech.  The court fined a Viennese woman for injuring the religious feelings of others when she stated her opinion that the Prophet Muhammad was a pedophile for his marriage to Aisha (a marriage arranged when the girl was 6 years of age, and consummated when she was 9 years of age) [1D].

Sharia in the United States

Sharia law in the United States is subject to the US Constitution.  Sharia may serve as a personal guide for Muslims, but is not legally enforceable, and does not supersede federal or state, criminal or civil law [2].

A. Federal Initiative

A Sharia-Free America Caucus has recently been formed in the US House of Representatives to prevent Sharia law from gaining a foothold here [3].

The goals of this caucus include expressly prohibiting the enforcement of Sharia law judgments; denying tax exemptions to individuals or institutions handing down Sharia law judgments; barring those who adhere to Sharia law from entry into the United States, and deporting any resident aliens who adhere to Sharia law.

B. State Initiatives

As of this writing, at least 14 states have enacted foreign law bans targeting Sharia [4].

C. Polygamy

The fact that polygamy is illegal in the United States has not kept some Muslim men here from taking multiple wives [8].  No one knows for certain how many Muslims in the United States live in polygamous families [16A].  However, estimates range from 50,000 – 100,000 [16B].  Black Muslims, in particular, are turning to polygamy [17].

D. Honor Killings

So called “honor killings”, also, occur in the United States.  These primarily involve women and girls murdered for allegedly having brought shame on their families.

Honor killings may be a family’s response to perceived immodesty by a woman; her rape; an “unsuitable” male partner on the woman’s part; a woman’s refusal to proceed with an arranged marriage; or her attempt to obtain a divorce, among other things [9A].

Honor killings are considered cultural in origin, not religious [10].  The term “honor killing” is not found in the Quran, Hadith, or Sunnah [9B][14].  The authority for a parent to a kill a child or grandchild for any reason is though found in Sharia [15A].

“The Reliance of the Traveller, authoritative Islamic sharia certified by Al-Azhar in Egypt – the highest authority of Islamic jurisprudence on the planet – and the Muslim Brotherhood’s Fiqh Council of North America, states:  ‘retaliation is obligatory against anyone who kills a human being purely intentionally and without right.’  It goes on to say those ‘not subject to retaliation’ includes ‘a father or mother (or their fathers or mothers) for killing their offspring, or offspring’s offspring.’ (‘Umdat al-Salik, Book O Justice, o1.1-2) [15B].”

While honor killings occur in many cultures, the Council of Europe in 2003 found that the majority of reported cases had been among Muslims or migrant-Muslim communities [9C].

Honor killings are not tracked, as such, in the United States since there is a reluctance to stigmatize Muslim and Arab cultures [11].  However, Prof. Ric Curtis of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2017 headed a team which analyzed data on such killings from Germany, the Netherlands, and Great Britain.  Based on this analysis, the team estimated that there are 23-27 honor killings annually in the United States [12].

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, it should be noted, has condemned honor killings [13].

A Religion of Peace

There are approximately 3.4 – 4.5 million Muslims in the United States [5].  The majority of these maintain that Islam is a religion of peace [6][7].

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[1A through 1D]  C4i Israel:  The Prophetic Connection, February 2026, p. 8, “Europe’s Sharia Courts” by Hugh Fitzgerald, 9/4/25.

[2]  Legal Clarity, “Sharia Law in the US:  Legal Status and Enforceability”, 12/15/25, https://legalclarity.org/sharia-law-in-the-us-legal-status-and-enforceability/.

[3]  Daily Signal, “Exclusive:  Early Look at the House Anti-Sharia Law Caucus’ Priorities Ahead of Press Conference” by Pedro Rodriguez, 1/24/26, https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/24/exclusive-early-look-at-the-house-anti-sharia-law-caucus-priorities-ahead-of-first-press-conference/.

[4]  All About Lawyer, “Sharia Law in America, Sharia Law Can’t Override US Civil Law – But 2025 Bills Seek New Bans Despite Constitutional Protections”, 11/8/25, https://allaboutlawyer.com/sharia-law-in-america-sharia-law-cant-override-us-civil-law-but-2025-bills-seek-new-bans-despite-constitutional-protections/.

[5]  Factually, “How many Muslims live in the United States as of 2025 and what are the  main data sources?”, 12/18/25, https://factually.co/fact-checks/society/muslim-population-united-states-2025-data-sources-fba5cf.

[6]  Pew Research Center, “7.  How the US General Public Views Muslims and Islam”, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2017/07/26/how-the-u-s-general-public-views-muslims-and-islam/.

[7]  Explore Islam, “Is Islam a Religion of Peace?”, https://explore-islam.com/is-islam-a-religion-of-peace/.

[8]  LawShun, “Polygamy in America:  Legal Challenges for Muslim Men with Multiple Wives” by Kara Sears, 12/12/25, https://lawshun.com/article/how-does-us-law-handle-a-muslims-man-many-wives.

[9A, 9B, and 9C]  Wikipedia, “Honor killing”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_killing.

[10]  Brandeis University, “Muslim Sexual Ethics – Honor Killings, Illicit Sex & Islamic Law” by Kecia Ali, 6/10/03, https://www.brandeis.edu/projects/fse/muslim/honor.html.

[11]  CBS News, “Honor killing” under growing scrutiny in the US” by Julia Dahl, 4/5/12, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/honor-killing-under-growing-scrutiny-in-the-us/.

[12]  Wikipedia, “Honor killings in the United States”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_killings_in_the_United_States.

[13]  YouTube, “Fox News:  CAIR Condemns Domestic Violence Incident”,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W1ZhKV_okM.

[14]  WikiIslam, “Qur’an, Hadith, and Scholars: Honor Killing”, https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Qur%27an,_Hadith_and_Scholars:Honor_Killing.

[15A and 15B]  John Guandolo, “Honor Killings Are Lawful in Islamic Sharia”, https://blog.johnguandolo.com/honor-killings-are-lawful-in-islamic-sharia/.

[16A and 16B]  NPR, “Some Muslims in US Quietly Engage in Polygamy” by Barbara Bradley Hagerty, 5/27/08, https://www.npr.org/2008/05/27/90857818/some-muslims-in-u-s-quietly-engage-in-polygamy.

[17]  NPR, “Philly Black Muslims Increasingly Turn to Polygamy” by Barbara Bradley Hagerty, 5/28/08, https://www.npr.org/2008/05/28/90886407/phillys-black-muslims-increasingly-turn-to-polygamy.

The scope and provisions of Sharia were addressed in Part 1 of this series

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