State Rep. Sally Kern said Monday that there is a strong possibility that she will try to revive legislation opposed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Kern’s House Bill 1552 had failed to get a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee. The measure would ban the use of foreign or international law in Oklahoma courts.
It was filed after a federal judge halted implementation of State Question 755, which would have banned state courts from considering Shariah law - Islamic law based on the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad.
The state question passed in November with more than 70 percent of the vote.
Muneer Awad, executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, successfully challenged SQ 755, saying it singled out his religion for unfavorable treatment.
At a Capitol news conference Monday, Awad and other critics of HB 1552 said it is unconstitutional because it violates a person’s right to practice religion, among other things.
“No company will invest in our state, nor conduct operations in Oklahoma, if it knows the state will not respect its international business contracts,” Awad said.
Some contracts call for a religious court to settle disagreements, Awad has said.
Kern, R-Oklahoma City, said her bill is necessary to protect the constitutional rights of Oklahoma residents. She said it would apply only if a foreign law violated a right protected in the state constitution.
“How in the world could protecting the rights of the Oklahoma Constitution be bad for business?” Kern asked.
Awad said the proposed legislation would result in another costly lawsuit and raise the question nationally “as to Oklahoma’s willingness to accept religious pluralism within our borders, a fundamental value that lies at the foundation of this nation’s constitution.”
He said Kern has pursued a divisive issue to confront a nonexistent threat at a time when job creation and economic growth must be a priority among members of the Legislature.
Senate Minority Leader Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City, commended chamber leaders for not hearing the bill.
“I imagine there will be some antics in the House to revive it,” Rice said.
He said it illustrates a troubling pattern among Republicans who are more concerned with pandering to public misconceptions.
“It is a nonissue meant to gin up anxiety and fear,” Rice said. “It is too bad it has gone on at the Capitol.”