Rallies against sharia law held across US, critics accuse protesters of vilifying Muslims

Protesters have rallied across the United States to denounce sharia law, the Islamic legal and moral code they claim poses a threat to American freedoms, but critics believe anti-Muslim hatred is behind the condemnation. × Group protesting Sharia clashes with counter-protesters in cities across the country

A right-wing group protesting Islamic law, or Sharia, clashed with counter-demonstrators at rallies in Denver, Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis and other cities on Saturday. Hundreds of people pledged on social media to attend an event that ACT billed as “March against Sharia.”

On the steps of the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg, barricades and a heavy police presence, including officers mounted on horses, separated about 60 anti-sharia demonstrators from an equal number of counter-protesters. Several counter-protesters were "anti-fascist" or "antifa" activists, who "dressed in black masks and hoods and chant[ed] 'No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,' " Reuters reports, a slogan modified from a 1980s punk song. When President Donald Trump campaigned last year, he said he wanted to test Muslims coming into America to make sure they don’t want Sharia law to supersede the US Constitution. The anti-Sharia protest was one of demonstrations planned in more than 20 cities, including New York, Boston, Dallas and Atlanta, sponsored by the conservative group Act for America, which calls itself the “NRA of national sercurity.”

The marches were held because “many aspects of Sharia law run contrary to basic human rights and are completely incompatible with our laws and our democratic values,” according to a statement posted on the group’s website. Organizers called the "March Against Sharia" rallies to protest what they say is the threat to U.S. society posed by the set of traditional Muslim practices, which they say includes oppression of women, honor killings, homophobic violence, female genital mutilation and other abuses. The counter-protest group, Seattle Stands With Our Muslim Neighbors, disagreed, saying on its Facebook page that ACT for America is “a recognized Islamophobic hate group.”

The word Sharia means “the path,” or “a road that leads one to water.” It refers to a set of principles that govern the moral and religious lives of Muslims. “I don’t want that to happen here.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country’s largest Muslim advocacy group, urged Americans to participate in one of several local educational events being organized in “a peaceful challenge to Saturday’s hate rallies.”

It also warned Muslims to take extra precautions against potential violence over the weekend.
Protesters stage rallies, organized by ACT! for America, against sharia law in major and small cities across the United States. Counter protesters also assembled at these locations.