Analysis: The baffling argument that has become mainstream under Trump: 'Islam is not a religion'
A woman carries flowers as she and other worshipers gather for Friday prayers at the Islamic Center of Washington, following the mosque attacks in New Zealand. By Asma Uddin March 19 at 6:00 AM Anxiety and fear were palpable among American Muslims last week after the mass slaughter in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand: Would a violent attacker enter their mosque, too? But even in their moment of vulnerability, one lawmaker insisted Muslims were the “real cause of bloodshed.
The argument has been circulating for some time, but it has gained ground in recent years, at least partly because the voices making the argument have a prominent platform in the Trump administration. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn said “Islam is a political ideology” that “hides behind the notion of it being a religion.” Former White House aide Sebastian Gorka and former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon have also questioned Islam’s status as a religion.
The model statute is enacted in various forms in 43 states. In practice, the “anti-sharia” laws restrict the ability of Muslims to use religious arbitration to manage their personal affairs. Arbitration by other religious groups — such as Orthodox Jews and Christian groups like InterVarsity — is common and a fairly uncontroversial form of religious exercise, but the laws single out Muslims for suspicion.
Brandon lost his case, but in the years that followed, his strategy has been replicated in mosque controversies across the country. Then there is the spate of arsons and bombings that has plagued mosques across America. In August 2017, worshipers in a mosque in Bloomington, Minn., were in the midst of morning prayers when an explosion went off. In 2016, three men in Garden City, Kan., conspired to bomb an apartment complex that served as a mosque for Somali refugees. In 2017, five mosques were burned in the span of 10 weeks.
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