Bill Banning Shariah (and Halachah) Law in Florida Family Cases Passes Senate
More: Bill Banning Shariah Law in Florida Family Cases Passes Senate…
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers are poised to pass a controversial law banning courts from using foreign law, after a split Senate committee signed off on the measure.
The bill (SB 58) would ban courts or other administrative authorities form using religious or foreign law in deciding matters related to family law, including divorce and child custody. The House approved a similar measure last year but it died on the Senate floor.
The Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee approved the bill by a 5-4 vote, with one Republican voting against it and one Democrat voting in favor, surprising opponents of the bill, who expected it to fail.
Critics, including the Florida Bar, the Anti-Defamation League, the ACLU of Florida and the National Council of Jewish Women, contend the bill would have a negative impact on Jewish divorces, called “gets,” and could trouble the state’s relationship with Israel. Under Jewish law, only a man can grant a divorce to a woman.
That violates Florida and federal constitutional protections, David Barkey, religious freedom counsel for the Florida Anti-Defamation League told the panel. And it would bar courts from recognizing any divorce settlements granted under Israeli or Jewish law, he said.
“This legislation … could undermine Florida’s strong reputation and track record as a center for trade with Israel and other nations” and “serve as an incentive for them to take their business elsewhere,” Barkey said.
And the bill could have a chilling effect on Israeli nationals and dual citizens already living in Florida, NCJW Vice President of Advocacy Linda Geller Schwartz, who lives in Boca Raton, said.
“The message being given to the Jewish population and other minorities is a very unwelcoming one,” she said.
Fuck you, Pam.
FREEDOM VICTORY: Anti-Sharia Legislation passed the Florida Senate Committee: SB58 by Senator Alan Hays, Ameri… bit.ly/12Ba9qE— Pamela Geller (@pamelageller) April 9, 2013
