Two Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation seeking to ban the enforcement of Sharia law in the United States, arguing the measure is necessary to preserve constitutional principles and American culture.
The proposal, called the “No Shari’a Act,” was announced this week by Florida Representative Randy Fine and Texas Representative Keith Self.
Newsweek contacted Fine via an online form, and Fine and Self by telephone outside of usual working hours on Sunday.
Why It Matters
The bill reignites long-standing debates over the role of foreign or religious legal systems in U.S. courts, particularly regarding Islamic law. Supporters say it would protect the Constitution from being undermined, while critics warn it could fuel Islamophobia and face constitutional challenges of its own.
What To Know
The legislation would bar courts from enforcing any judgment, decree, or arbitration decision based on Sharia law or any foreign system that violates constitutional rights.
Its sponsors argue that America must remain unified under one legal framework—the Constitution—and reject attempts to introduce alternative systems.
Announcing the bill on X, formerly Twitter, Fine said: “Sharia Law is not compatible with Western Civilization and we are NOT going to allow it in our country. If you want freedom, live in America. If you want the oppression of Sharia law, go live in one of the countries where they practice it.”
Past controversies, such as disputes over religious arbitration in family law or proposals for Muslim-majority developments, have helped fuel Republican concerns on the issue.
As reported by The Daily Wire, the debate intensified in Texas during controversy over the proposed EPIC City project near Dallas, a planned Muslim community. Opponents claimed the development might bring with it elements of Sharia law.
Self warned that the influence of Sharia law was already present in Texas and said allowing such systems could fracture the nation into “civilizations with different laws.”
Fine pointed to a recent incident in Dearborn, Michigan, where Christian residents’ opposition to naming a street after Arab American publisher Osama Siblani sparked tensions, as reported by The Daily Wire. According to Fine, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud told the man he was not welcome in the city.
Fine announced the proposed bill on X, saying: “You don’t get to come to this country and demand that our legal system accommodate your oppressive laws.”
Critics, including civil rights groups, are expected to counter that the bill unfairly targets Muslims and risks violating the First Amendment’s protections of religious freedom.
In response to Self’s X post announcing the bill, one user describing himself as a licensed media professional and with 10,000 followers said: “Islam is a religion of nation building, not a religion of war, a religion of peace and coexistence. Those who sponsor and finance terrorism are your western countries. You see a rogue group that wants to kill and destroy, so you finance it…You must correct your course first…”
Islamic Network Group (ING) states on its website: “Since Muslims make up 1 to 2% of the American population there is little danger of Sharia being substituted for U.S. law in American courts, nor is there evidence that anything of the sort is happening or even is being contemplated.”
What People Are Saying
Fine told The Daily Wire: “We are not going to become a Muslim nation. There are plenty out there. If you want to live under Sharia, return to where you came from, but we’re not interested in you coming here and conquering our country.”
He also said: “We do not want to replicate this barbaric Middle Age philosophy in this country, and we need to make that clear, this is not welcome in the United States. We need to respond to the Islamists saying Christians are not welcome in Dearborn by saying, no, you are not welcome here.
“We cannot have sets of laws. There is one in the United States. It’s called the U.S. Constitution and the state laws under states of course, but we cannot have two different civilizations with different laws.”
Islamic Network Group (ING) states on its website: “The First Amendment clearly provides protection for the free exercise of religion, which includes protecting the rights of Muslims, as well as Jews, Christians, and others, to observe their own laws in matters of faith, including the adherence to rules regarding personal worship and some family laws.
“However, no religious law can supersede state or federal law. Moreover, Sharia commands Muslims to abide by the law of the land in which they reside. [American] Muslims are merely trying to follow Sharia in their personal life just as practicing Jews try to follow Jewish law (halakha). There is no evidence of American Muslims individually or as a group trying to force Sharia on others.
“Muslims are obligated to adhere to the law of the land, and the observance of any laws that run contrary to the Constitution such as polygamy would be prevented even if someone tried to implement them.”
What Happens Next
The bill will first go before congressional committees before any chance of a House vote. Even if it passes the Republican-controlled House, it faces an uncertain future in the Senate and likely legal challenges in the courts.
The debate over the measure is expected to intensify as lawmakers return from recess and begin preparing for the 2026 election cycle.