OPINION:
In November, Texas Republican Rep. Keith Self, chairman of a subcommittee on Europe on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke of the inroads Shariah law has made into the United States and warned that this form of strict Islamic governance is a direct threat to the Constitution and to Americans’ liberties and civil rights. Fast-forward to this month, and Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn brought forth legislation to bar entry to this country to anyone who supports or advocates for Shariah law — to prevent “the spread of anti-American ideology.”
Meanwhile, leftists laugh.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations wrote in a headline, “CAIR Commends House Democrats Who Countered Anti-Muslim Hate at ‘Sharia Hoax’ Hearing.”
Shariah is no joke — or hoax, however. Ask some Europeans. The rise of the number of mosques in the United Kingdom has been significant over the years; so, too, has been the influence of Islam.
From Suella Braverman, former British home secretary and chair of the European Research Group — this, in an op-ed posted by Christian Concern: “The truth is that the Islamists, the extremists and the anti-Semites are in charge now. They have bullied the Labor Party, they have bullied our institutions and now they have bullied our country into submission. This is a crisis. And the fightback must start now, with urgency, if we are to preserve the liberties we cherish and the privileges this country affords us all. If we are to have any chance of saving our country from the mob.”
A handful in America are awakening to the threat of Islamic influences dominating and destroying both U.S. culture and constitutional protections. Texas is taking the lead — because Texas has been particularly targeted by Islamic organizations that are pushing for massive Muslim community developments that would blossom into self-contained governing areas, no-go zones for those failing to adhere to Shariah.
As Cornyn said, “Sharia law is the antithesis of what our country stands for: freedom of conscience, religion and speech.”
Florida has rushed to the fight, as well. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law a ban on public officials accepting gifts from CAIR, which was designated by the state as a terror group in December, as well as from other foreign entities. DeSantis has also signed legislation into law safeguarding the state against Shariah influences.
“The Constitution must remain the law of the land, and we must defend our institutions from those who would harm us,” DeSantis said.
All true.
All good.
But here’s where the real battle for America’s constitutional protections of God-given rights and liberties must be won: in the spiritual realm.
The Founding Fathers warned that America could only stay a nation of individual freedoms and limited governance so long as the people were moral and virtuous — and a crucial component of ensuring that morality and virtue is the application of biblical values throughout society. The DNA of America’s justice system is Bible-based — i.e., see the book of Deuteronomy; see the 10 Commandments. The link between the Bible and America’s government was solidified at the beginning.
America’s freedom won’t long last with a different holy book as its guide.
The Quran is not a suitable substitute for the Bible in terms of applying principles to government’s structure and society’s culture.
Shariah is not a cozy accompaniment to the Constitution. The two don’t mix; the two are in direct conflict.
In a new survey, Pew Research Center found there has been “a small uptick in the share of U.S. adults who say the federal government should declare Christianity the nation’s official religion: 17 percent now say this, up from 13 percent in 2024.”
If more would agree — then Shariah in America would naturally subside.
If more argued America was decidedly a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian principles and inextricably linked to the teachings of the Bible, then the pushback against Islamic influences on government and Shariah in society would not be so easily labeled hate speech; so easily condemned as acts of intolerance; so cavalierly dismissed as the narratives of radicals — of Christian nationalist radicals.
And maybe instead of mosques, Americans would be building more churches.
It would just be the American way, an accepted truth of the United States, one so accepted that forces hostile to that truth wouldn’t even dare attempt to change.
Fighting anti-American Islamist influences in the political world is right and proper and necessary. But the real solution, the real win, the real securement of American values and freedoms that endure through the generations will only come when citizens reawaken to the idea that not only is this a nation of God-given rights and liberties, but that God is not a generic name. There is only one, and choosing correctly is everything. Allah is not a substitute for Jesus.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “God-Given Or Bust: Defeating Marxism and Saving America With Biblical Truths,” is available by clicking HERE.
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