*(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/17/12) *– A prominent national Muslim civil
rights and advocacy organization tonight called on Republican
presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and other GOP representatives to
reaffirm their support of an American republic that treats citizens of
all faiths as equals.
Gingrich today told a South Carolina town hall that he would only
support a Muslim for the presidency if that person would “commit in
public to give up Sharia.”
“Newt Gingrich’s vision of America segregates our citizens by faith. His
outdated political ideas look backward to a time when Catholics and Jews
were vilified and their faiths called a threat,” said *CAIR National
Legislative Director Corey Saylor*. “The time for bias in American
politics has passed and Newt Gingrich looks like a relic of an ugly era.”
Saylor added that Sharia teaches marital fidelity, generous charity and
a thirst for knowledge. It includes religious guidelines for praying,
fasting, giving charity, helping the needy, feeding the hungry, and
caring for the environment. “The last time I checked, that was called
freedom of religion and it is all protected by the Constitution,” said
Saylor.
According to Saylor, Sharia literally means “path,” and it is a set of
interpretations that are dynamic and intended to accommodate the time,
place and laws — like the U.S. Constitution — of a particular
community. Sharia is interpreted differently based on its surroundings.
Sharia mandates Muslims to respect the law of the land in which they
live. Many familiar with Islam note that Sharia is similar to Catholic
Canon law and Jewish Halacha law.
