Dec 6, 2010 /EIN Presswire/ – Oklahoma City federal judge Vicki Miles-LeGrange has blocked the controversial restriction on the use of Sharia law from becoming part of the Oklahoma state constitution.
The measure, State Question 755, was approved by 70% of voters in November 2 elections, but a lawsuit was filed after the election to stop the state from certifying election results.
Judge Miles-LeGrange ordered a temporary stay on the election results in response to Muneer Awad’s lawsuit claiming that the measure violates his right to freely practice his religion of Islam.
Awad, the president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma, said that both Muslims and non-Muslims alike voiced their support for the nullification of the law despite popular support on the ballot.
Republican legislators in Oklahoma argued that the restriction was a preemptive measure to prevent controversial aspects of Sharia law from being used as a religious defense in court or criminal defense. The federal judge rejected the measure as a violation of the right to practice religion of any faith.
Read more about the Oklahoma Constitution at http://uspolitics.einnews.com/news/oklahoma-constitution.
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