Protesters rally against Islamic law in dozens of U.S. cities

[rooster59]

Protesters rally against Islamic law in dozens of U.S. cities

By David DeKok

 

A police officer observes counter-protesters during an anti-Sharia rally in Seattle, Washington, U.S., June 10, 2017. REUTERS/David Ryder

 

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - About two dozen rallies were planned across the United States on Saturday to denounce sharia law, the Islamic legal and moral code that organizers say poses a threat to American freedoms, but critics believe the condemnation masks anti-Muslim hatred.

 

ACT for America, a self-described grassroots organization focusing on national security, has scheduled protests in New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver and Seattle, as well as many smaller cities. Hundreds of people pledged on social media to attend.

 

At a rally on the steps of the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg, the atmosphere was tense.

 

Barricades and a heavy police presence, including officers mounted on horses, separated about 60 anti-sharia demonstrators from an equal number of counter-protesters, many dressed in black masks and hoods and chanting "No Trump, no KKK, no Fascist USA."

 

More than a dozen men belonging to the anti-government Oath Keepers were on hand, invited by ACT to provide security. Most of them carried handguns.

 

Leann Koons, 35, of Ricketts Glen, Pennsylvania, said she came to the rally "because I stand for women's and children's rights. I don't like how they treat women."

 

Chris Achey, 47, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, said he did not hate Muslims but believes that much of Islam is incompatible with Western culture.

"The Constitution is the law of the land," he said. "We have to be careful with who we let in the country."

 

The event ended without violence, and police said one counter-demonstrator was arrested.

 

On its website, ACT described sharia, which covers many aspects of Muslim life including religious obligations and financial dealings, as incompatible with human rights. It said sharia justifies the oppression of women and homosexuality, and advocates female genital mutilation.

 

But critics say the organization vilifies Muslims and has repeatedly equated Islam with extremism. In their view, the rallies are part of a wave of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment fueled by President Donald Trump, who called for a ban on Muslims entering the country during his election campaign.

 

Molly Freiburg, 33, of Philadelphia, was one of the counter-protesters but not part of the larger group clad in black.

 

"America is not in danger from sharia law," she said. "This manifestation at the Capitol is actually a way to make our Muslim neighbors feel uncomfortable."

 

A representative for ACT for America could not be reached for comment.

 

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country's largest Muslim advocacy group, urged Americans to participate in one of several local educational events being organized in "a peaceful challenge to Saturday's hate rallies."

 

It also warned Muslims to take extra precautions against potential violence over the weekend.

 

Anti-Muslim incidents rose 57 percent last year, including a 44 percent jump in anti-Islamic hate crimes, CAIR said in a report released in early May.

Oath Keepers said on its website that it was "answering the call to defend free speech against those who would use terrorist violence or the threat of violence to shut it down."

 

The Southern Poverty Law Center says Oath Keepers is "one of the largest radical antigovernment groups in the United States," organized around a "set of baseless conspiracy theories."

 

Refuse Fascism, a coalition of activists advocating confrontational tactics to oppose what it calls the Trump "regime," said it would show up at the rallies "to counter the xenophobic hatred and lies, defy intimidation and drown it out.”

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-11

[Orton Rd]

More like a hatred of barbarism than Muslims as people, Sharia treats women unequally, death for gays and apostates and has punishments from the middle ages, amputation for minor theft, stoning to death for adultery, public whippings etc. Completely incompatible with American freedoms and values, or decent ones anywhere.

[darksidedog]

Sharia law is antiquated, barbaric and abominable.There is no place for it in civilised society and Muslims need to come out of the Dark Ages and recognise so. Perhaps when they do, they will find integrating with world society will become much easier.

[stevenl]

So it's now called 'against sharia' in stead of 'against Muslims'. 

[metisdead]

An off topic trolling post has been removed. 

[darksidedog]

12 minutes ago, stevenl said:

So it's now called 'against sharia' in stead of 'against Muslims'. 

I think that is very reasonable actually. Many Muslims do not recognise Sharia law and they are the ones integrating into Western society nicely. It is the fringe lunatics, who want to live in the past with ancient and barbaric laws, and impose them on others against their will, who are the problem. America has its own laws. Muslims wanting to live there, need to accept them and renounce anything else. If they don't, they should leave.

[stevenl]

4 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I think that is very reasonable actually. Many Muslims do not recognise Sharia law and they are the ones integrating into Western society nicely. It is the fringe lunatics, who want to live in the past with ancient and barbaric laws, and impose them on others against their will, who are the problem. America has its own laws. Muslims wanting to live there, need to accept them and renounce anything else. If they don't, they should leave.

Agree with you, but the demonstrators are there showing their anti Muslim stance.

This is just an attempt to hide their bigotry, political correctness of the right.

[boomerangutang]

                          Expect similar protests in western European countries - where the potential clash levels will be higher than in the US, because extremist Muslims are more embedded (and greater %'s) in Europe than in the US.   

[tomwct]

2/3 rd's of Muslims in America support some type of Sharia Law, so this is good to have protests.

This is not against Muslims, but Islamic Terrorism!

Edited June 11, 2017 by tomwct

[ezzra]

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

Sharia law is antiquated, barbaric and abominable.There is no place for it in civilised society and Muslims need to come out of the Dark Ages and recognise so. Perhaps when they do, they will find integrating with world society will become much easier.

 

The problem is that when you come out against it and you live in one of those countries that practice this evil laws, you're likely to find yourself on the

receiving ends of the very laws you're protesting against, hence people are afraid to come out...

[WaywardWind]

29 minutes ago, tomwct said:

2/3 rd's of Muslims in America support some type of Sharia Law, so this is good to have protests.

This is not against Muslims, but Islamic Terrorism!

You have a source for that assertion?

[nasanews]

If I was a American Muslim I would rather marry according Sharia Law.

[tonray]

I don't know, MyMateNate could use a good caning now and again.

[coulson]

Protests againsts sharia law, in the USA?

These guys have huge balls.

[Trentham]

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Sharia law is antiquated, barbaric and abominable.There is no place for it in civilised society and Muslims need to come out of the Dark Ages and recognise so. Perhaps when they do, they will find integrating with world society will become much easier.

Sharia law states that Muslims must live by the law of the land. I am not Muslim or Christian - I am an atheist and therefore am not sticking up for my personal religion.

See http://www.daruliftaa.com/node/5852

 

There is no contradiction between the law of the USA and Sharia so long as the laws of the USA do not force a Muslim person to sin eg. eat pork or not go to prayer.

 

Before posters prattle on about Sharia being "antiquated, barbaric and abominable" they should inform themselves of the facts.

SHARIA REQUIRES MUSLIMS TO LIVE BY THE LAW OF THE USA. and any other country in which they reside .

[stevenl]

2 hours ago, tomwct said:

2/3 rd's of Muslims in America support some type of Sharia Law, so this is good to have protests.

This is not against Muslims, but Islamic Terrorism!

As I said, right wing political correctness.

[Dustdevil]

There have lately been at least a hundred cases in the US of female genital mutilation in certain Muslim families. That's what makes me the most angry. 

[klauskunkel]

My personal opinion:

countries are supposed to be governed by laws.

Religion has no business whatsoever in governing a country.

Thus "religious laws" serve no purpose and should be removed.

[WaywardWind]

21 minutes ago, Dustdevil said:

There have lately been at least a hundred cases in the US of female genital mutilation in certain Muslim families. That's what makes me the most angry. 

And the people responsible are apprehended, prosecuted, and incarcerated. As it should be.

[Rigby40]

The rallies were very HIGH ENERGY today. So proud of all my fellow Americans! 

Edited June 11, 2017 by Rigby40

[Kwasaki]

26 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

My personal opinion:

countries are supposed to be governed by laws.

Religion has no business whatsoever in governing a country.

Thus "religious laws" serve no purpose and should be removed.

I feel the same it's sad when religion rules countries.

It makes me cringe when American President's say " God bless America " . 

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, Trentham said:

Before posters prattle on about Sharia being "antiquated, barbaric and abominable" they should inform themselves of the facts.

SHARIA REQUIRES MUSLIMS TO LIVE BY THE LAW OF THE USA. and any other country in which they reside .

Agree until they take over the country l guess.  

[Briggsy]

Islam is long, long overdue some radical reforms.

[Jonmarleesco]

'... critics say the organization ... has repeatedly equated Islam with extremism.' Well, right now, they don't appear far wrong, do they? 

[Thakkar]

They are rallying against a non-existent law. It is nothing but cover for an anti-Muslim rally. As others have said, it is right wing political correctness.

 

Scratch below the surface of many a right wing espousal of "women's rights" or "animal rights" (in the case of halal slaughter) and it becomes clear that the real targets are The Scary Muslims.

[darksidedog]

36 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Islam is long, long overdue some radical reforms.

I, along with a couple billion others I suspect, generally agree with that. Christianity had a very black period, during the years of the inquisition, but we moved forward and today are almost civilised. Remember, the Industrial revolution came first, to mostly Christian countries and changed the way communities live, so we learnt early how to get along with each other.

I remember a time not so long ago, when there were no ordained women in the church, but societies development changed that.

Islam could certainly benefit from trying to catch up with the modern world, as other religions have done. Such changes do not occur overnight though sadly, but change they must, and in time probably will.One must hope that when those changes do come, they do so for the benefit of all, and that the mutual distrust and hatred out there right now, disappear at the same time. Wiping each other out is not an acceptable option, so we really do need to work out how to get along.

Edited June 11, 2017 by darksidedog

[sweatalot]

6 hours ago, stevenl said:

So it's now called 'against sharia' in stead of 'against Muslims'. 

Are you saying you cannot be against sharia and its  inhumanity because then you are against muslims?

you should learn to discriminate.

[Thakkar]

6 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I, along with a couple billion others I suspect, generally agree with that. Christianity had a very black period, during the years of the inquisition, but we moved forward and today are almost civilised. Remember, the Industrial revolution came first, to mostly Christian countries and changed the way communities live, so we learnt early how to get along with each other.

I remember a time not so long ago, when there were no ordained women in the church, but societies development changed that.

Islam could certainly benefit from trying to catch up with the modern world, as other religions have done. Such changes do not occur overnight though sadly, but change they must, and in time probably will.One must hope that when those changes do come, they do so for the benefit of all, and that the mutual distrust and hatred out there right now, disappear at the same time. Wiping each other out is not an acceptable option, so we really do need to work out how to get along.

 

Agree on some points.

The industrial revolution may have come first to Christian countries, but so did two devastating world wars.

Islam never had The Reformation that Christianity benefitted from. For a period, Islam was more modern, liberal and open-minded than Christianity. Sadly it was dragged down by reactionaries while Christianity reformed itself, albeit through fits and starts, wars and subterfuge. Heck, Islam still hasn't settled a feud going back 1,400 years as to the true heir of Mohamed, hence the Sunni/Shia split that persists today and is the cause of much of the Muslim terrorism and violence we see.

 

To get back on topic, non of the above is relevant to the protesters, who are just there to vent their bigotry.

[stevenl]

12 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

Are you saying you cannot be against sharia and its  inhumanity because then you are against muslims?

you should learn to discriminate.

I am saying this has nothing to do with sharia, that is just a pretense. The demonstrations are against muslims.

[Saladin]

There  is no place for Islamic Sharia law or the religious laws of any other faith in a democratic secular state. Democratically elected governments are charged to make the laws on behalf of the whole population. We need less religious influence in our lives - not more. Religion, like defecation and masturbation, is something that should be  practiced in the privacy of one's own home.