Media Matters covers a recent Fox Business Network interview between reporter Eric Bolling, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, and former NYPD detective Bo Dietl. Commenting on Gov. Christie's appointment of Sohail Mohammed as state judge, Bolling questions whether Judge Mohammed could have “a completely objective view on American case law.” On the subject of Muslim judges, Dietl asserted that “judges who are from the Islam [sic] can become judges in America and then they can start weighing these cases out and start to understand it under the Shariah law.” He added that, unlike in “Muslimland,” in America,
“a judge will convict you for assault if you assault the woman, if you assault your wife, even under your aba daba law there.”
Dr. Jasser reinforced concerns over Islamic law taking precedence in American courts, and suggested as evidence that the outcome of a recent Arizona court decision over a father's murder of his daughter reflected “understanding of the culture” that prompted the jury to sympathize with the defendant.
A New York Times op-ed praises New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on his response to comments by anti-Muslim bloggers who disapproved of Gov. Christie's recent appointment of Sohail Mohammed as a state judge. In exasperation, Gov. Christie said:
“This Shariah law business is crap…It’s just crazy, and I’m tired of dealing with the crazies.”
He added that he admired Judge Mohammed's work as an attorney exonerating innocent Muslims arrested by the FBI in the aftermath of 9/11.
In a piece in The Huffington Post, New York State Senator Kevin S. Parker singles out Governor Christie as the only major Republican politician who challenges what is widely regarded as a current wave of anti-Muslim, anti-Islamic law sentiment. His article describes the current anti-Muslim sentiment in American politics. Senator Parker highlights the negative impact that so-called Islamophobia has had in the United States, pointing to greater numbers of violent and discriminatory acts directed against Muslim Americans.