Man Behind Lawsuit Reacts To Oklahoma Sharia-Law Ruling

A federal appeals court upheld a temporary stop to our state's ban on sharia law.

Voters overwhelmingly passed the constitutional amendment in November 2010, but it still hasn't gone into effect because of a fierce court battle.

The amendment bans state courts from considering international and Islamic - or Sharia - Law, when deciding cases.

The man suing the state says Oklahomans were asked to vote on something that was unconstitutional.

Muneer Awad has been fighting for this day for more than a year and the fight's not over.

"We're just hopeful that we can carry the momentum to continue to show politicians that this type of legislation, legislation that targets religious minorities, is unconstitutional," Awad said.

Awad is the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma. He filed a lawsuit that claims banning Sharia Law targets Muslims.

"It demonized Muslims by saying they are somehow a unique threat to the state of Oklahoma. The law says that on its face," Awad said. 

Because of Awad's lawsuit, the law never took effect. A federal appeals court in Colorado agreed, the law should be put on hold while a lower court decides whether it's Constitutional.

01/10/2012 Related Story: Ruling Blocking Oklahoma Sharia Ban Is Upheld By Appeals Court

Seventy percent of Oklahoma voters approved the constitutional amendment.

In the ruling, the court admitted, "Federal courts should be wary of interfering with the voting process... but it is always in the public interest to prevent the violation of a party's constitutional rights."

"The first amendment is not up for a vote, whether it's 70% or 90%," Awad said.

The court concluded Awad made a strong case that the amendment exposes him and other Muslims in Oklahoma to discrimination. It also says he could potentially win in his lawsuit to permanently stop the law.

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt released a statement today, saying "My office will continue to defend the state in this matter and proceed with the merits of the case."

We also called Senator Anthony Sykes, who authored the bill, and he did not call us back.