How chaotic would this be?

There’s a “rumor”* going round that a recent survey of Muslims* revealed that a majority of them surveyed (51%) believed that “Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to Shariah (Muslim) Law.” 

Let’s set aside for the moment that life under Sharia Law is anything but productive and peaceful. Set aside for the moment that an examination of the lands controlled by the Islamic State show a history of freedom and basic human rights being the first things to disappear where the rule of law is Shariah and the reigns of government of said countries is handed over to Islamic clerics.

All that aside, let’s focus instead on just how ridiculously impractical and chaotic it would be to replace the rule of law with a menu of choices as to which set of juris prudence each and every heartbeat on our soil could choose to live under and be governed by.

But, wait; the clueless will say; all we’re talking about is having two choices – American Law or Shariah Law.

Really? Only two?

Let’s look at the ramifications of the recent approval by the US Supreme Court of gay marriage as an acceptable and equal rights alternative to heterosexual marriage in the law of the land. Thanks to their open-ended redefinition of marriage (intentional?), we’ve now got polygamists and pedophiles applying for the same equal marriage and relationship rights as homosexuals and lesbians now get under the law. These petitions made well-inside 30 days from the ruling permitting gay marriage.

So, let’s assume for the moment that these Nine Putzs on the Potomac also endorse this hair-brained idea that Shariah Law should be given equal access to anyone who wants it as American Law. Then it doesn’t seem to hard to imagine that there will be those immediately petitioning the Court for applicability of equal opportunity to be governed by some other preferred legal code – the ancient Native American Law the Code of Hammurabi** , Traditional Chinese Law, or that of the United Federation of Planets.

And can you imagine the difficulty this would cause law enforcement at the scene of a crime? What exact legal code do you prefer Mr./Ms. Suspect? Is the act you just committed a crime under that set of laws?

Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of Americans feel – 86% according to that same rumored survey - that Shariah Law should not replace the U.S. Constitution in any way.

But that doesn’t mean if this situation comes before the US Supreme Court it will do the right thing, the Constitutionally-legal thing or even the common sense thing.

  

*I’ll use that term here because I couldn’t outright find the exact poll to cite that this information allegedly came from.

**Babylonian law code of ancient Mesopotamia, dating back to about 1754 BC.