Controversy erupts as Senator asks first Muslim nominee for federal judgeship about Sharia

Joe Biden nominated the first Muslim-American in history as a candidate for federal district court judge. Zahid Quraishi was among a “diverse slate of 11 judicial nominees put forward by Biden.”

Last month, Quraishi went before the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of the selection process, and was asked by Committee Chair, Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat: “What do you know about Sharia law?”

Quraishi answered that he knows “nothing about Sharia.” Nothing? Virtually everyone knows something about the Sharia. In his position, Quraishi is likely to know a lot about and was probably fibbing, and not an intelligent way, either. It isn’t possible that a man of his standing, who “has served as a military prosecutor and Army captain in Iraq, as an assistant U.S. Attorney who has tried cases of public corruption, organized crime and financial fraud, and as a white-collar criminal defense lawyer”, would know “NOTHING” about Sharia.

One thing for certain: Sharia is incompatible with American law, and in fact, incompatible with every free society. A statement to this effect from this potential federal judge should have been automatic and non-controversial.

There are those who will jump to his defense with the question: why single out his Muslimness? Because Islam presents Sharia as divine law, so a question about Quraishi’s views of it is fair, particularly given his potential position of such great influence.

So what might it have been that Quraishi was trying to avoid? Giving him the benefit of the doubt, many may conclude that he was trying to avoid controversy, and to steer the issue of his nomination away from his identity as a Muslim back to a focus on other issues. But if this was the case, he missed a golden opportunity to simply state the truth of how much he really knows about the Sharia and enunciate the truth that it is incompatible with numerous American laws. Such an answer would have surely caused him headaches among segments of the Muslim community (which is a matter of concern in itself), so instead, he pleaded ignorance of Sharia. Reaction was swift, as is clear from the article below.

Trying to please everybody ended up backfiring on Quraishi, who has now opened a can of worms and cast a spotlight on his own character, motives, and loyalties, as well as on his ability to think quickly.

Last year, Emilia Justyna Powell, associate professor of political science and concurrent associate professor of law at Notre Dame, researched how the two systems — democratic laws and the Sharia — work together in practice. Powell hailed Islamic law and issued a call for international law judges to consider “referring to parts of Sharia.” Quraishi, of course, may know nothing of Justyna Powell, but surely he should know that such studies have been a niche focus of interest in some realms of academia for some time,  and more generally in the legal domain as well.

With his blatant tactic of evasion, Quraishi has shown himself to be an unwise judge, with a possible agenda, and one who lacks foresight as well.

Despite concerns that have erupted on every side, it is the absurd “Islamophobia” accusations against Durbin for asking the question that will likely get more attention than Quraishi’s unwillingness to be transparent.

To allay the concerns of those who are levying accusations about “Islamophobia” against Durbin, to even out the playing field, the Senate Judiciary Committee could pose the same question to every potential federal judge: “What do you know about Sharia law?”  And every answer should be fully public.

“Zahid Quraishi could be first Muslim federal judge, but questions remain,” North Jersey, May 10, 2021:

New Jersey’s Zahid Quraishi has served as a military prosecutor and Army captain in Iraq, as an assistant U.S. Attorney who has tried cases of public corruption, organized crime and financial fraud, and as a white-collar criminal defense lawyer.

But when Quraishi, who grew up in Union County, appeared last month before the Senate Judiciary Committee – which is considering his nomination as a federal district court judge – one of the few questions he faced had nothing to do with his noteworthy resume.

“What do you know about Sharia law?” asked the committee chair, Sen. Dick Durbin.

Muslim Americans were dismayed that even a war veteran and magistrate judge could not escape Islamophobic suspicions that routinely befall those seeking or serving public office. The question about Sharia, or Islamic law, is one they say is laden with bias and the false assumption that being Muslim somehow is at odds with being American.

But it wasn’t only the Sharia question that rankled many Muslim Americans. Quraishi’s answer – that he knows nothing about Sharia – also drew rebukes and a call from one prominent attorney and Islamic law expert for organizations to rescind their support of him. By distancing himself from Sharia, they fear he may be reinforcing negative perceptions about the faith and who constitutes a “good Muslim.”

Some Muslim and South Asian advocacy groups and legal organizations have publicly supported Quraishi’s nomination. But other Muslim leaders have been hesitant, saying they want an explanation of his role as a U.S. Army legal adviser for detention operations in Iraq and his work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Quraishi declined an interview request…..