Why Do Jews Support Shari'a Law?

It is unquestionable that some of the biggest defenders of American Muslims and their rights have been American Jews. With the exception of Israel where Jewish identity is axiomatically based no tribal nationalism and, even if unwittingly, intolerance for intolerance is the necessary condition for ethnic nationalism (and this includes Arab nationalism, which is disparaging of Berbers and Kurds and Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser kicked out Greeks from that nation in the 1950s), Jewish identity in the diaspora, especially in America, has been nearly uniform in upholding equality and pluralism. For Jews, above all, understand the merit of these values and for Jews to prosper as a minority than other minorities must also have equal rights as a reinforcer to the rights of Jews in a more open and liberal society. That is why American Jews were at the forefront of the Civil Rights struggle. And, today, prominent Jews have also been vocal in defending Muslim Americans (whether they identify themselves as "Jewish writers" or whatever, and whether their defense is informed by Jewish values per se or just liberalism).

But it is also true that a tiny minority of right-wing and ultra-ring wing and even some liberal, Democratic-voting Jews (ex. the New Republic's loon Marty Peretz) are at the forefront of the hate and demonization campaign against Muslims in American and around the world. And Jewish-American organizations have, regrettable, also winked at the hate if not subtly endorse it and inflame it. Why? It is not because they hate Muslims just for being Muslims the way a white supremacist hates blacks, but because this minority believes that anti-Muslim prejudice in America is beneficial to Israel's cause.

That the most mistrusted American Muslims are and the more they are subject to attacks and marginalization the harder it will be for Americans to identify with the Arab Muslim victims of Israeli oppression and occupation (and thus continue to blindly support Israel) and the harder it will be for Muslims to become an effective political force to counter the Israel lobby's agenda.

The Jewish organizations have made this cynical bet and have silently thrown their lot with the bigots, to the long-term peril and consequence.

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But here's an interested coalition: American Muslims and Jews standing against the silly state legislature bills and referendums banning Islamic law or Shari'a. This is the new "boogeyman" for the crazy right, that Muslims are planning to subvert the constitution and institute strict Islamic law. It is nonsense. American Muslims never pose in ideology nor demographics a willingly nor ability to do so. And the bigots likely now that but why not stroke fear akin to the antisemitic conspiracy theories of Jewish cabals?

But American Jewish have stood up against this because the anti-Shari'a bills (where Shari'a is already nonexistent) also target any institution of religious law. And here is where it gets interesting: there are no Shari'a courts in America, but there are Jewish Rabbinical courts and if the anti-Shari'a bills pass then their affect on Muslims is inconsequential since they ban and nonexistent entity but actually bear consequences for Orthodox Jews.

And that is why the Orthodox Jews are siding with Muslims in opposing this asinine efforts, the former to preserve their religious liberty and the latter to do away with a campaign whose sole purpose is to spread unfounded fear, ignorance and hate.

Another example of American Jews standing for the rights of others in order to secure and defend their rights as well in a complimenting and mutual beneficial alliance in the pursuit of tolerance and one nation. For they know that attacks against one group often end with attacks against Jews.