Fountain Hills won’t be joining a growing list of communities that have drafted and considered resolutions targeting Sharia law.
Faced with community backlash on Oct. 20, most town leaders chose not to prepare an ordinance that conservative Councilmember Allen Skillicorn sought to locally formalize Arizona and United States rules against the imposition or enforcement of foreign laws.
Sharia law is a spiritual or moral road map for Muslims, guiding how they live, play and treat others. It is not a legal set of codes or regulations like local laws.
Some local officials, residents and attorneys slammed the effort as an attempt to further stoke anti-Islamic sentiment by far-right politicians this election season. Others questioned its purpose, as state
and national laws are by nature already codified.
They also pointed to the First Amendment of the Constitution, which forbids the government from establishing a central religion or favoring one faith over another.
“This does nothing to reinforce those, because they are already the law of the land,” said Fountain Hills resident Linda Somo. “All this does is tell those who practice their religions by following certain laws of their religion, that have nothing to do with the laws of the land, that they’re not welcome in this community.”
Thanh-Tan Jakwani, a Muslim and Scottsdale resident, expressed such fears. She was brought to tears while speaking about the town that she’s enjoyed visiting and recreating in for decades.
"I’m very confused and disturbed by this proposed ordinance. Like many have questioned, is there any real incident that happened to trigger this ban?” she asked before encouraging those at the meeting to visit her mosque in Scottsdale. “Share kebabs and curries with us and get to know each other better.”
Martin Quezada is an attorney and the civil rights director for the Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Encouraging the town council to reject Skillicorn's proposal, he noted that a measure targeting Sharia leaves the city vulnerable to a constitutional legal battle.
"We would much rather build something with this town and with this council than fight against it," Quezada said. "But we will defend our community, both in this chamber and in court if we have to."
Of the eight people who gave public comments, only two had concerns with Sharia law. However, they stopped short of supporting the ban, largely agreeing with the others that it could be inflammatory and prompt legal challenges.
Skillicorn, a one-term local official set to leave office in December after not seeking reelection, is behind the effort. At the council's Sept. 15 meeting, he called for a “Florida-style” ban on Sharia law.
This spring, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that bans courts from applying or enforcing foreign or religious laws.
Skillicorn said he proposed the local ordinance because he wanted to “honor” existing laws. As a town without a charter, he noted, Fountain Hills doesn’t have “great authority.”
“But we can make a statement that we agree with Arizona law,” he said, adding, “We can also really set the tone for values and protecting freedom.”
During the hour-long discussion on the issue, Skillicorn said he shared a resolution or proclamation with the town attorney to use as the basis for a local ordinance.
A copy of that document has not yet been shared by the town.
Councilmember Hannah Larrabee, a staunch conservative who’s also leaving the council this winter, was the only official who fully supported Skillicorn’s idea. Listing some examples of what she called “advocacy for Sharia law in the United States,” she said there are “five calls to prayer per day publicly broadcast" in Dearborn, Michigan.
Dearborn has a large Muslim population. Twice a day for about two minutes, the city's many mosques use a loudspeaker to play the calls to pray.
Quezada said politicians’ fears about Sharia law are unfounded, as no one has proposed imposing it in state or local law — a point Skillicorn conceded when pressed by fellow outgoing Councilmember Brenda Kalivianakis.
Quezada explained that Sharia law isn’t legal code in the same way that civil laws are created. Rather, he noted, it’s a broad religious framework that’s not dissimilar from canon law that guides the Catholic faith and the halacha for the Jewish community.
“Sharia law is how the Muslim community prays. Sharia is how they fast during Ramadan, much like Christians observe Lent,” he said. “And Sharia is how they give to the poor, much like church tithing in the religions I assume many of you practice as well.”
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Shawn Raymundo covers Scottsdale and Maricopa County. Reach him at sraymundo@gannett.com or follow him on X @ShawnzyTsunami.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Fountain Hills rejects controversial proposal to ban Sharia law
