In a letter addressed to district attorneys and sheriffs in Dallas and Collin Counties, Gov. Greg Abbott called for an investigation into “possible criminal violations by Sharia tribunals masquerading as legal courts.” The letter specifically names Dallas-based entity, The Islamic Tribunal, a self-described “mediation and non-binding arbitration firm that adheres to Islamic principles in the Muslim community,” and trails the governor’s recent campaign against sharia law and Islamic faith-based organizations.
Sharia law, which has become something of a focus for Abbott this year, is a guiding code found within the Quran. Several Muslim countries incorporate sharia law into their legal systems, but for many practicing Muslims, rigid adherence is not an integral part of everyday life, much like the most traditional values of Christianity.
Tribunals are a facet of many denominations, and Abbott acknowledges the existence of the First Amendment protection for religious institutions to “adjudicate ecclesiastical questions,” and “inquire into wrongdoing and correct their members to preserve the purity, peace, and good order of a congregation,” but he goes on to allege that the IT is doing more than that…