The measure banning Sharia law in Oklahoma courts passed by Oklahoma voters in 2010 was shot down by a senate committee Thursday.
State Question 755 banned the consideration of Islamic Sharia law, derived from the Quran, when deciding Oklahoma court cases. It passed with 70 percent of the vote in November 2010, so then came House Bill 1552, by State Rep. Sally Kern.
That bill passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a bipartisan 76-3 vote on its third reading in March 2011. During a hearing this week, members of the Senate Rules Committee voted 6-9 against the measure.
A lawsuit against the measure was filed soon after by the Council on American-Islamic Relations in federal court because many Muslims felt it was a way to politically bash the group. A federal judge sided with the group in November of last year, issuing a preliminary injunction that kept it from becoming law.
On Thursday, Kern said she was shocked by the committee’s failure to pass the bill. “This measure has broad support in Oklahoma and killing it is a slap in the face to voters who believe foreign law should have no bearing on legal decisions that impact Oklahomans in Oklahoma,” Kern said.