Michigan House Bill 4769, “The Restriction of the Application of Foreign Laws,” was recently introduced by a number of Republican state representatives, led by State Representative Dave Agema.  Even though the word shari’a is omitted, the language of this bill is a replica of other anti-shari’a bills that have been introduced and in some cases passed in other states.

 All of these bills have been primarily authored by the anti-Muslim bigot David Yerushalmi, of whom the Anti-Defamation League says: “Yerushalmi is the founder and president of the Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE), a “think tank” that has published anti-Muslim, anti-immigration and anti-black materials, as well as New World Order-style conspiracy theories.”

 HB 4769 does nothing to protect our legal institutions but only contributes to the growing climate of-fear mongering against the American Muslim community. It is an attempt to marginalize and cast suspicion upon loyal Americans.  Agema is the same representative who introduced HB 4305, the Michigan version of the Arizona anti-immigration bill, earlier this year. This newest bill, which calls for non-consideration of any foreign law by Michigan courts, is clearly an attack on the religious freedoms of all Michigan residents and an affront to the entire judicial system of Michigan.  This bill will also potentially stifle business development by creating unnecessary legal hurdles for international business investors and the state of Michigan. State Representatives John Olumba (D-Detroit), Harvey Santana (D-Detroit), Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), the ACLU-MI and CAIR-MI have all condemned the bill.

We add our voice to the growing chorus of opposition to HB 4769.