Tallahassee – The Florida Legislature is advancing legislation to explicitly prohibit the enforcement of Sharia law within the state, building on Gov. Ron DeSantis’s recent executive order designating certain Islamic organizations as terrorist entities. The bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Randy Fine and backed by a supermajority in both chambers, declares that “no court, arbitrator, or administrative agency shall enforce or apply foreign law, including Sharia, if doing so would violate constitutional rights.”
Introduced in the 2026 session’s opening days, the measure aims to prevent any “parallel legal system” from taking root, particularly in family disputes involving marriage, divorce, or inheritance. Fine, a vocal proponent of pro-Israel policies, argued the ban protects women and minorities from “oppressive practices” incompatible with American values. The bill includes penalties for officials who recognize foreign religious law over state statutes, with supporters citing rare arbitration cases where Sharia principles influenced outcomes.
Muslim advocacy groups swiftly condemned the proposal as discriminatory. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called it “Islamophobic fearmongering” that stigmatizes Florida’s 1.1 million Muslims, many of whom use voluntary Sharia-based mediation in personal matters without conflicting with civil law. Legal experts note similar bans in other states have faced court challenges for violating religious freedom, though Florida’s version emphasizes constitutional conflicts to bolster defensibility.
DeSantis, fresh from his order rejecting “alternative religious law,” is expected to sign the bill if passed. As the legislature moves quickly, the debate tests Florida’s balance between cultural preservation and pluralism in Trump’s second-term era.
