• Civil rights groups say Florida’s “No Sharia Act” revives a long-discredited campaign of anti-Muslim hysteria.
• DeSantis accused of using Islamophobia as a political diversion from Israel’s war on Gaza.
• CAIR invites DeSantis and Rep Cassel to visit Florida mosques and learn about the beliefs and lives of Muslim constituents.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, and its Florida chapter (CAIR-Florida) today condemned Governor Ron DeSantis for endorsing Florida House Bill 119, the so-called “No Sharia Act,” and urged Florida lawmakers to reject this Israel-First political stunt designed to distract the public from Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza by manufacturing panic about Muslims in America.
TAKE ACTION: Urge Florida Lawmakers and Governor DeSantis to Drop the Anti-Muslim “No Sharia Act” and Stop Using Islamophobia to Distract from Israel’s Genocide in Gaza
HB 119, introduced by Florida Representative Hillary Cassel, who ran and won as a Democrat before switching parties, closely mirrors, by about 80 percent, the language of David Yerushalmi’s discredited “American Laws for American Courts” (ALAC) model legislation. ALAC was designed to stigmatize Muslims by falsely suggesting that American courts could be overruled by so-called “foreign law.”
This is not the first time such legislation has surfaced in Florida. Between 2011 and 2014, lawmakers repeatedly introduced “anti-foreign law” and “anti-Sharia” measures that were widely condemned as unconstitutional and rooted in bigotry before ultimately failing. DeSantis’s endorsement marks a return to a decade-old Islamophobic playbook at a time when Floridians need unity, not division.
CAIR-Florida notes that both the Brennan Center for Justice and Florida Bar Journal have criticized these measures as redundant, unnecessary, and tainted by anti-Muslim bias. American courts are already bound by the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which prevents any foreign or religious law from superseding state or federal law.
The American Bar Association’s 2024 report, “Legalizing Othering: Institutionalized Islamophobia and the Subversion of U.S. Democracy,” found that since 2010, 233 anti-Sharia bills have been introduced in 44 state legislatures, with 20 enacted in 13 states—despite being legally unnecessary and rooted in discrimination.
In a joint statement, CAIR-Florida and CAIR National leadership said:
“CAIR and CAIR-Florida condemn Governor Ron DeSantis for endorsing House Bill 119, the disgraceful and bigoted ‘No Sharia Act,’ a recycled anti-Muslim stunt rooted in lies, fearmongering, and political distraction. We call on the governor to drop his Israel-First schtick and start addressing the real needs of Floridians who are struggling with housing, healthcare, and education instead of pandering to hate.
“Religious freedom is a bedrock principle of our Constitution. No political stunt can change the First Amendment or its guarantee of religious freedom for all. In America, Jews have the right to follow Halakha, Catholics have the right to follow Canon law, and Muslims have the right to follow Sharia, which means ‘the way to water’ and encompasses prayer, fasting, charity, and ethical living.
“If Governor DeSantis, Representative Cassel, or any Florida lawmaker has genuine questions about Muslim beliefs, practices, or values, we invite them to visit a local mosque, meet with their Muslim constituents, and learn firsthand about the faith, family life, and civic engagement of Florida’s diverse Muslim community. Our doors are open, and we would be happy to enlighten them.
“HB 119 is a nothing burger. It solves no real problem, violates the First Amendment, and would be struck down in court if enacted. Similar measures failed in Florida and across the country because they were redundant, divisive, and transparently Islamophobic.
“This bill has nothing to do with protecting Floridians. It is an Israel-First bait and switch meant to distract the public from what Muslims are courageously saying about Israel’s undeniable and criminal genocide of Palestinians and to create panic about Muslims here at home. Reviving this decade-old, unconstitutional culture-war hoax only divides communities and embarrasses our state.
This is not leadership. It is political cowardice and moral failure. CAIR, CAIR-Florida, and all people of conscience will continue to oppose this cynical attempt to divide Floridians, stoke Islamophobia, and undermine religious freedom for everyone.”
CAIR notes that anti-Muslim rhetoric by Governor DeSantis in Florida, Governor Abbott in Texas, and Alabama U.S. Senator Tuberville marks a coordinated national resurgence of Islamophobia designed to shield Israel from criticism and silence Muslim Americans.
As CAIR Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell recently wrote in Common Dreams, “Israel’s supporters are manufacturing hysteria about Islam and Muslims to protect Israel from criticism by frightening the American public.”
CAIR-Florida warns that HB 119 would jeopardize interfaith religious rights by casting doubt on faith-based marriage contracts, wills, and burial practices. The bill could also block state courts from considering Jewish Halacha or Catholic Canon law in voluntary arbitration, threatening the freedoms of multiple faith communities, not just Muslims.
Already Ruled Unconstitutional: In the early 2010’s, CAIR achieved a landmark legal victory against similar legislation in Oklahoma, where voters in 2010 approved a constitutional amendment banning state courts from considering “Sharia law.” Representing plaintiff Muneer Awad, CAIR filed suit arguing that the measure violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause by expressly condemning Islam and stigmatizing Muslims. In 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld a permanent injunction in Awad v. Ziriax, writing that “the proposed state amendment expressly condemns [Awad’s] religion and exposes him and other Muslims in Oklahoma to disfavored treatment.”
The Awad ruling remains the first and only federal appellate decision on the legality of “anti-Sharia” laws, firmly establishing that such measures are unconstitutional, unnecessary, and rooted in prejudice. It dismantled the early national momentum behind anti-Muslim legislation and reaffirmed that religious freedom in America applies equally to Muslims, Jews, Christians, and all others.
HB 119 now revives that same discredited framework while providing no new legal protections. CAIR, CAIR-Florida, and anyone with common sense will work to oppose this recycled, unconstitutional attempt to divide Floridians along religious lines and distract the public from the real crises facing our nation.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Florida Media & Outreach Director Wilfredo A. Ruiz, 305-503-6749, wruiz@cair.com ;CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com