Analyst's note:  Recently we posted an article about a Muslim U.S. Army soldier granted conscientious objector status because he argued sharia law prevents him from killing other Muslims.

As we said then, in spite of the growing list of examples where sharia law is being countenanced or applied, both legally and governmentally, organizations like the two below continue to cling to the absurd claim that sharia isn’t a problem or threat to America.

Typically, the absurd “see no sharia” claim is accompanied by name-calling, as in the notice below where it says “anti-Muslim forces.” These people and organizations are not only unwilling to acknowledge the threat, they are unwilling to grant that someone can be opposed to radical Islam, sharia and jihad, and not be “anti-Muslim.”

Note how the groups below try to make this about freedom of religion. It isn’t. It’s about the supremacy of constitutional law. Sharia law demands supremacy over man-made law. What’s more, central to sharia law is the doctrine of jihad.

There’s an old expression, “I’ve made up my mind, don’t confuse me with the facts.” There are those who are so wedded to their beliefs that no amount of evidence will budge them.

But for open-minded Americans, what we and others are saying is making sense. The word is getting out, and more and more people are paying attention. This is why groups like those below are striking back, because the debate about issues like sharia and jihad is shifting our way.

Examining the Anti-Shariah Movement in America

July 26, 2011, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Please join the Center for American Progress and the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding for a special presentation:

"What Shariah Is – and Isn’t: Examining the Anti-Shariah movement in America"

Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW, 10th floor.

In recent months, anti-Muslim forces have raised the specter of Shariah usurping the Constitution and destroying the American way of life. Bills have been introduced in more than two dozen states that would “ban” the practice of Shariah law—despite the fact that Shariah is not a collection of laws but a set of diversely interpreted guidelines for religious practice. In addition, no Muslim American leaders are calling for Shariah to override American laws. Banning religious freedom for Muslims is unconstitutional and would have serious consequences for international treaties and for religious expression in other faiths. Join us for an enlightening discussion with a panel of experts who will explain the basics of Shariah, compare its precepts with those of Christianity and Judaism, dissect how it is being used as a wedge issue in political campaigns, and examine the real impact on Muslim American communities.

July 26, 2011, noon – 1:30
Admission is free.

The Herald Sun (Australia) story below provides yet ANOTHER example of the forward march of sharia law around the world.

Those who dismiss concerns about sharia law, such as Bob Smietana’s recent article in The Tennessean newspaper, appear to have no problem with how sharia law applies to women and children.

For instance, nine months ago the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (not of Saudi Arabia), issued a fatwa declaring that, according to Islamic law, rape cannot exist in a marriage because a woman is required to consent to her husband.

It was this reasoning that prompted a New Jersey judge in 2009 to deny issuing a restraining order against a Muslim man who was sexually abusing his wife.

Sharia law provides that a woman’s testimony in court is equal to only half that of a man’s. A man can beat his wife if she is insubordinate. A man can divorce his wife by saying “I divorce you” three times; a woman has no such right. Women have virtually no rights over the custody of their children. And on and on.

So here is our question to the naysayers: Do you believe sharia law should be applied in America in the area of “family law”? If so, any claims you make to support equal rights for women—or even their protection—are hollow.

Give us our own laws, say Islamic leaders

The survey revealed strong condemnation of MPs who criticise Muslim women for wearing burqa/nijab. Source: AdelaideNow

ISLAMIC leaders want Muslims in Australia to get interest-free loans for religious reasons.

The nation's Islamic leaders want recognition of sharia law as it applies to banking practices, according to an exclusive Herald Sun survey of imams.

There was also a call for recognition of sharia law as it applies to family law.

The survey showed some imams are sceptical that Osama bin Laden's death will be of benefit to ordinary Muslims, and they are unhappy with the way US forces disposed of his body.

The survey has also revealed:

STRONG condemnation of MPs who criticise Muslim women for wearing the burqa/nijab.

CONCERN that ordinary Muslims are still being linked to terrorism.

DISGUST that innocent people in Muslim countries are being killed in the "war on terror".

The survey was conducted in the wake of a $55,000 Federal Government training program for imams on Australian laws and values.

They have been told to preach core Australian values such as the fair go, freedom, and responsibility.

Imam Yusuf Parker, from the Alhidayah Centre in Perth, said Australia should consider recognising sharia law as it applied to finance and family law matters.

Imam Parker said Islam forbade the charging or paying of interest "so finding interest-free loans will again help Muslims to practise their Islam better".

"Other than the two major issues mentioned, I don't see other sharia law that Muslims would seek to have legally recognised," he said.

Fellow WA imam Sheik Burhaan Mehtar said sharia law often was raised to scare non-Muslims, but a dialogue would lead to better understanding.

"Islamic banking and the non-slavery of humans is a classic example. Interest is slavery," he said.

Islamic Council of Victoria board member Nazeem Hussain said legal and tax barriers currently prevented local banks from offering Islamic finance products.

"That's a massive market ... we'd encourage the Government to seek ways to tap into that market," he said.

Imam Parker said bin Laden's demise might serve as closure for those convinced he masterminded the 9/11 attacks.

"But the reality is that the negative impact on Islam and Muslims has not changed, and it will take many decades for that to change," he said.

Sheik Burhaan Mehtar said the symbolic victory of bin Laden's death would remain hollow while people in nations such as Afghanistan suffered a "terror of death delivered from the skies" by the US and its allies.

Gold Coast imam Imraan Husain reflected a general view that bin Laden's burial at sea was a violation of Islamic funeral rites.

Victorian imam Sheik Ramy Najmeddine said Muslims felt there was an unfair link between terrorism and Islam.

"But we believe this is being broken down by the good work that members of both the Muslim and non-Muslim community are doing."

Sheik Mohamadu Saleem, a spokesman for Board of Imams Victoria, accused some MPs of trying to get political mileage out of the burqa issue. "It is mere political expediency," he said.

Victorian imam Abdinur Weli said: "If only Muslims are the people who are told what to wear, then it is discrimination."