rewrite this - The proliferation of semi-autonomous Muslim majority communities in Western Europe applying aspects of “Sharia,” Islamic law jurisdiction, has alerted some U.S. lawmakers to this same developing phenomenon in America. During a Feb. 10 he

The rise of semi-autonomous Muslim-majority communities in Western Europe implementing aspects of "Sharia," or Islamic law, has raised concerns among some U.S. lawmakers regarding a similar trend in America. During a hearing on February 10 titled “Sharia-Free America: Why Political Islam and Sharia Law Are Incompatible with the U.S. Constitution,” the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Constitution will evaluate evidence regarding the potential dangers that Sharia poses to the fundamental freedoms vital to our constitutional republic. Sharia is based on the core texts of Islam, including the Quran and hadith (the recorded sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad), along with interpretations by prominent Islamic scholars. It is not just a comprehensive legal system; it is totalitarian in nature, governing everything from religious rituals to personal conduct to the administration of a Muslim minority community, an Islamic state, or a broader Islamic order. At its essence, Sharia highlights the profound differences between Western and Islamic understandings of freedom, or hurriyya in Arabic. Adhering strictly to Sharia was considered essential to achieving hurriyya, which was defined by the 11th-century Sufi scholar al-Qushayri as “the perfection of slavery to Allah and [His] religious law.” The governance based on Sharia poses significant contemporary concerns, evoking parallels with historical totalitarian regimes. Its oppressive political features include militant jihadism aimed at establishing a totalitarian Islamic order; rejection of foundational Western liberties such as freedom of conscience and speech, often enforced by severe penalties; the marginalization of non-Muslims and the subjugation of Muslim women; and brutal, mandatory punishments that degrade human dignity, such as amputation for theft, stoning for adultery, and lashing for alcohol consumption. Robert H. Jackson, a U.S. Supreme Court Justice from 1941 to 1954 and chief U.S. prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, articulated in the early 1950s the stark contrasts between Sharia and Western law: “Islamic Law (Sharia) offers American lawyers a study in dramatic contrasts… Its prominent features diverge from our legal principles… Islamic law is fundamentally based on the will of Allah as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, creating a unified community of believers. Religion, rather than nationalism or geography, serves as the binding force. The state is subordinate to the Quran, allowing little room for additional legislation or dissent. Consequently, there is no separation of political or legal theory from the teachings of the Prophet, which govern all aspects of life, resulting in a legal system focused on duties rather than rights.” Alarmingly, since 1990, the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation—the largest voting bloc in the United Nations—has been advocating for a Sharia-based framework for "human rights," known as the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, which could undermine existing protections for human freedom and dignity, such as the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the U.S. Bill of Rights. Data from Muslim-majority societies strongly indicate the intolerance and persecution of non-Muslims that could arise from adopting a Sharia-based legal framework like the Cairo Declaration. Countries that implement Sharia, particularly regarding blasphemy laws, exhibit the highest levels of persecution against Christians globally and have populations with significantly high rates of extreme antisemitism. This alarming trend of antisemitism is now evident among Muslim diaspora communities in both Western Europe and the United States. Recent data from a nationally representative survey of 324 U.S. Muslims in September 2024 shows that 50% supported laws against depictions of Muhammad, 39% endorsed widespread Sharia application, and 33% desired Islam to be declared the national religion. In closing, I reference a poignant warning from 2011 by Michael Nazir Ali, a Pakistani bishop who immigrated to the United Kingdom and became the first non-white diocesan bishop in the Church of England.