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America Needs No Sharia Law but American Muslims Deserve Liberty
Mustafa Akyol /

America Needs No Sharia Law but American Muslims Deserve Liberty

Those who want a reformed Islam should welcome Muslims to the American way.
A group of people, including children wearing traditional Islamic caps and white clothing, gather inside a room during what appears to be a religious or cultural event.
Members of the Muslim community participate in Friday prayers at the Mariam Center in Deer Park, Texas, on Friday, July 17, 2026. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Concern over “Sharia” has become part of a feverish political narrative in parts of the United States, especially in Texas and Florida. Some Republican politicians warn of an imminent “Islamic takeover” and claim that “Sharia law” could eradicate American freedoms. Hence they have proposed legislation aimed at countering this perceived threat, with titles such as the “Preserving a Sharia-Free America Act,” “No Sharia Act,” and “Defeat Sharia Law in America Act.”

Mustafa Akyol is a contributing writer at The Dispatch and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, where he focuses on the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity. He is the author of books such as "Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance ," "Why, As a Muslim, I Defend Liberty,” and "The Islamic Moses: How the Prophet Inspired Jews and Muslims to Flourish Together and Change the World." He also teaches Islamic thelogy and history at Boston College, Acton University, and the Foreign Service Institute.

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