“It is clear to me that ‘a free church in a free state’ is the American ideal. The Founders wanted a country where people of all faiths and those of none could follow their religious beliefs without government entanglement.”

An Oklahoma amendment that bans state judges from consulting Islamic law has been blocked from going into effect.

Judge Vicky Miles-Lagrange issued a preliminary injunction on Monday, ruling that the amendment “fosters an excessive government entanglement with religion.”

Muneer Awad, executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, filed a lawsuit after 70 percent of state voters passed Referendum Question 755 which states: “This measure … makes courts rely on federal and state law when deciding cases. It forbids courts from considering or using international law. It forbids courts from considering or using Sharia Law.”

The Referendum was approved in early November.

Awad alleges the amendment violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause that bars government bodies from making laws respecting the establishment of religion.

Judge Miles-Lagrange issued a temporary restraining order a few days after the amendment passed.

Imposing an injunction on Monday (November 29th), she concluded, “The court finds that plaintiff has shown that he will suffer injury in fact specifically, an invasion of his first amendment rights will be violated by Oklahoma’s official condemnation of his religion/faith.”

The judge sided with Awad and his explanation that Sharia law is “not actually ‘law’ but is religious traditions that provide guidance to plaintiff and other Muslims regarding the exercise of their faith.”

Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange (born 1953) is the Chief U. S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma. She was the first African American woman to be sworn in as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. She was also the first African American female elected to the Oklahoma Senate.

Read More: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20101130/judge-rules-against-oklahoma-s-sharia-ban/