Chris Christie slams fearmongering over Sharia law
New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie defended his decision to nominate a Muslim judge to the state Superior Court against conservative critics who warned that the new judge will implement Sharia law. The notoriously blunt-spoken Christie calling their fears "crap" and "crazy."
The appointee, Sohail Mohammed, is an American attorney who offered legal aid to New Jersey residents who were suspected after the 9/11 terrorist attacks but were later found innocent of any crimes.
Opponents of Mohammed's nomination have issued warnings, with no evidence, that Christie's nominee, if approved, would base his rulings on Islamic law. Christie was having none of it.
"Sharia law has nothing to do with this at all. It's crazy. It's crazy," Christie said at a press conference Wednesday. "The guy's an American citizen who has been an admitted lawyer to practice in the state of New Jersey, swearing an oath to uphold the laws of New Jersey, the constitution of the state of New Jersey, and the Constitution of the United States of America . . . .This Sharia law business is crap. It's just crazy. And I'm tired of dealing with the crazies."
You can watch the exchange after the jump:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y83z552NJaw&feature=player_embedded
Several Republican presidential candidates have warned of a Muslim plot to force American courts to rule by the religious code. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum recently called it "an existential threat" to the United States; former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty shut down a program in his state that would allow practicing Muslims to pay for mortgages without violating their religious teachings against borrowing with interest; businessman Herman Cain said he would require Muslims to take an extra loyalty oath to serve in his administration; and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called for a federal law to ban Sharia from U.S. courts.
Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/chris-christie-slams-fearmongering-over-sharia-law-210648303.html
Related:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/116102514_Judgeship_nominee_reaches_out_to_Muslims.html
Sohail Mohammed represented more than 32 arrested detainees after 9/11. He has trained more than 7,000 law enforcement and court officers on enhanced understanding of Muslim practices. And he has organized a job fair at a Paterson mosque so Muslims could apply for law enforcement jobs.
Among his proudest accomplishments in his 17-year career was his work in creating a non-denominational prayer room at Giants Stadium, a first for the National Football League.
But the 47-year-old native of India, whom Governor Christie nominated for the bench in January, was reluctant to tout his impressive résumé.
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