I've backed down from sharing everything I write at Greg's every day just because I assume y'all see those posts anyway, but this one is on a new CAP report from Wajahat Ali and Matt Duss debunking the notion that American Muslims are going to turn the U.S. into an Islamic state:
The root of sharia panic is the idea that American Muslims, acting on an obtuse and Medeival interpretation of Islamic principles, will act inconcert with each other to destroy the United States and replace it with an Islamic theocracy. The point of the report is not to deny that harsh, unconscionable interpretations of sharia don't exist, or that these don't result in heinous violations of human rights in some Muslim countries. But the sharia panic that is driving state legislatures to try and criminalize Islam, and making GOP presidential candidates fearful of even looking tolerant of Muslims, is based on an understanding of the religion that would be analogous to treating the bombing of an abortion clinic as the only true possible interpretation of Christianity.
As the report points out, despite the fact that America is a mostly Christian country, even the religious right has failed to eliminate the wall between church and state. The notion that American Muslims, who represent less than one percent of the population could possibly do so is ludicrous, an argument that belongs in the same category as doubts about the president's citizenship.
CAP also has an illuminating interview with Boston College law professor Intisar Rabb, who is also an expert in Islamic law.