OVERVIEW

This report on the anti-Sharia movement in the United States addresses the legalized othering of Muslim communities across the nation through anti-Muslim legislation and bills between the years 2000 and 2016. Within the broader context of rising anti-Muslim sentiment, discrimination, securitization and acts of violence against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim, this report sheds light on the anti-Sharia movement – part of the more organized, contemporary Islamophobia movement in the US since 2010. As a result of these organized Islamophobia efforts, the anti-Sharia legislation movement has been established, and continues to expand, by an unfounded fear of “creeping Sharia,” proliferated by fabrications, lies, and intentionally misconstrued information surrounding Muslims in the United States.

The impact of these anti-Muslim bills, and the degree to which, when enacted, they affect American citizens and the US legal system, has yet to be fully understood. To help better understand the ramifications of these bills, not just on Muslims, but all citizens, this report:

• Contextualizes the inception of the anti-Sharia movement, which grew and became influential after 9/11 through the proliferation of anti-Muslim sentiment and racial anxiety
• Reveals how the anti-Sharia movement formed alliances with other conservative movements to influence state legislation that effectively legalized the othering of Muslims in different parts of the country (2010 - present)
• Reports on the findings of the United States of Islamophobia database – a comprehensive research tool that identifies and provides detailed information on all anti-Sharia bills introduced in the US state legislatures across the country from 2000 to 2016
• Uncovers the main themes, patterns, trends and impacts of anti-Sharia legislation and the anti-Sharia movement
• Proposes cross-sectoral and coalition building efforts
• Aids the growth of effective, inclusive movements that cross racial and religious lines to stand against othering

Read our press release on the report here

DATABASE

The United States of Islamophobia database consists of two spreadsheets: One spreadsheet is aggregated to break down all the anti-Sharia bills introduced in the country by state, while the disaggregated spreadsheet breaks down the bills inside each state.

Aggregated (legislation broken down by state):

Disaggregated (legislation broken down in each state):

Of 194 anti-Muslim bills proposed in state legislatures across the country from 2010 to 2016, 18 have passed and been enacted into law. The statements of purpose written into each of those laws can be found here.

For database citation, use: "The United States of Islamophobia database. Elsheikh, Elsadig; Sisemore, Basima; Ramirez Lee, Natalia. Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, CA, September 2017"

INTERVIEWS

The report includes interviews with 16 leading experts and knowledgeable sources listed below on subjects related to the themes and arguments outlined in the research. Only excerpts from those interviews were included in the report due to space, but the full interviews can be viewed through the links below:

 

Abed Awad is an attorney and Adjunct Professor at Rutgers University Law School. Awad is a national expert in Islamic law and the laws of Muslim countries. He has published extensively in various publications, and he has more than 200 television and radio appearances as a political and/or legal commentator for numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, ABC, CNN, Al-Jazeera, the BBC, and NPR, among others. Read his interview here.

 

 

 

 

Baher Azmy is the Legal Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. He directs all litigation and advocacy around issues related to the promotion of civil and human rights. At CCR, he has litigated cases related to discriminatory policing practices (stop and frisk), government surveillance, the rights of Guantanamo detainees, and accountability for victims of torture. In 2012, Baher was selected as one of the top 500 lawyers in America by Lawdragon Magazine. Baher has been published by and appeared on major media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, 60 Minutes, PBS Newshour, and MSNBC. Read his interview here.

 

 

 

Evelyn Nakano Glenn is Professor of the Graduate School (Ethnic Studies and Gender and Women's Studies) at the University of California, Berkeley. Her scholarly and political interests focus on race, gender, immigration, labor, and citizenship. She is the author of Forced to Care: Coercion and Caregiving in America (Harvard University Press); Unequal Freedom, How Race and Gender Shaped American Citizenship and Labor (Harvard University Press); and Issei, Nisei, War Bride: Three Generations of Japanese American Women in Domestic Service (Temple University Press). Professor Glenn is a past-president of the American Sociological Association and Founding Director of the Center for Race and Gender at UCB. Read her interview here.

 

Hassan Shibly is the Chief Executive Director of CAIR Florida. Mr. Shibly is a nationally recognized advocate for civil rights and has helped CAIR-Florida grow into one of the largest civil rights organizations in the country. Hassan is a lawyer, a speaker, and a teacher. He has dedicated his life to fostering a healthy cohesive relationship between American Muslims and society at large and protecting civil liberties. He has taught courses on civil rights, Islamic belief, law, history, spirituality and culture and serves as a consultant on Islam for NGO's, non-profit organizations, government agencies, media organizations, youth groups, and law enforcement. Read his interview here.

 

Hatem Bazian is a teaching professor in the Departments of Near Eastern and Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Bazian is a co-founder and Professor of Islamic Law and Theology at Zaytuna College, the first Accredited Muslim Liberal Arts College in the United States. In 2009, Dr. Bazian founded the Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project (IRDP), a research unit at the Center for Race and Gender at UC Berkeley, dedicated to the systematic study of Othering Islam and Muslims. In 2012 IRDP launched the Islamophobia Studies Journal and Dr. Bazian serves as the journal’s Editor-in-Chief. Read his interview here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nour Bouhassoun is an AROC youth leader who moved to the United States from Syria in 2012. Nour attended Mission High School in San Francisco and is now pursuing an English degree at Kenyon College. Read her interview here.