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| ONE OF THE GREATEST DOCUMENTS--U.S. Marine and U.S. Navy personnel guard U.S. Constitution. |
GUEST BLOG by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar—In the 1987 movie Moonstruck,
Nicolas Cage plays a contentious man who, when confronted with his unreasonable
and unjust behavior, shouts in defense, “I ain’t no freakin’ monument to justice!”
That line echoes in my head when I think about Indiana’s hypocritical and
anti-American Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). At its core, rather
than being a monument to justice, RFRA is a step toward establishing an
American version of Shari’a law.
--UPDATE:
Within days of its passage, the Indiana legislature amended the religious freedom restoration act, which was signed by Gov. Mike Pense to include language that prohibits all forms of discrimination in Indiana. The change in the new law came about because the vast silent majority spoke out, including business leaders, rights activists and noted celebrities like Mr. Abdul-Jabbar.
--
I know
that sounds hyperbolic, in the tradition of, “If Obama is re-elected, the
terrorists have won” or “If the pipeline isn’t approved, you’re Nazis because
Hitler once nixed a pipeline.” However, in this case, the comparison is not so
crazy. Shari’a law, when imposed on a population by force, makes a single
religion’s teachings (often a single sect of that religion’s teachings) the law
of the land. The mission is to force everyone to follow the teachings lest they
be punished. Although RFRA supporters aren’t physically assaulting people, they
certainly are attempting to punish those who don’t follow their own very
specific interpretation of God’s teachings.
The U.S.
Constitution is one of the greatest documents ever written because it has a clearly
articulated mission of creating a country in which all people are given equal
opportunity and equal protection in order to seek those opportunities. Simple,
but sublime. One major component to the spirit of the Constitution is that we
don’t promote any single religion above any other. To favor any religious
teaching just based on popularity contradicts the spirit of the mission of the
Constitution and is as direct an attack on the principles of this country as
was the firing on Fort Sumter.
Indiana’s
RFRA is also unfairly tarnishing the image of Christians. Christians have been
at the forefront of fighting for equality since this country was founded. They
were on the front lines of abolition, the Civil Rights movement, and in
expanding LGBT rights. They risked their careers, families, and lives. Refusing
service isn’t an expression of Christian love, but an example of shaming.
Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount is a revocation of some of the harsher judgments of
the Old Testament (“an eye for an eye”) in order to embrace all people as
fellow travelers on the path to salvation. While most Christians want to help
people along that path, Indiana’s RFRA supporters want to set up road blocks.
Indiana
is roughly 80% Christian, so whom exactly is this law protecting? What religion
is being “restored”? Practitioners of Christianity in Indiana are not in
jeopardy of losing their right to worship or practice their faith. That means
the only reason to pass such a law is to allow people to extend the practice of
their faith to include discriminating against those who don’t share their
values. That’s the kind of thinking that drove Christians out of Europe to
found this country.
Some
question why all the attention is suddenly on Indiana when 19 other states and
the federal government have passed similar laws. Here’s why: (1) RFRA is
similar to the other laws but has two fundamental differences. Indiana’s law
allows for-profit businesses the same right as an individual or church to use
this law to discriminate. And it protects the for-profit business from a
private lawsuit claiming discrimination. (2) Just because someone else gets
away with committing a bad act doesn’t mean we don’t punish the next person we
catch. (3) The law is clearly a pouty response to gay marriage in the state;
it’s an attempt to tell government not to interfere in private moral choices by
passing a law that interferes in private moral choices. (4) It’s also clearly a
thumbed-nose toward the cultural awakening taking place across the country in
support of LGBT equality.
Finally,
the main reason the bill’s supporters deserve this wrath is because they passed
RFRA as a cynical political ploy to appease Indiana conservatives. Scrambling
Indiana politicians suddenly protest that the law’s intention is not to
discriminate. In fact, that’s its only reason to exist. Even if no one actually
uses the law, it’s still a loaded weapon with one intended victim: Anyone Who
Isn’t Us.
The
politicians thought it would cost them nothing and gain them voter
appreciation. Fortunately, it is costing them much more than they imagined.
Angie’s List, Salesforce, the state of Connecticut, the cities of San Francisco
and Seattle, and others are threatening to cancel buildings, conventions, and
other business enterprises in Indiana. Also, the NBA and NCAA are debating how
to express their outrage. Charles Barkley rightly called for the NCAA Final
Four tournament to be held elsewhere.
People of
all religions and races and ethnic backgrounds should join together to condemn
this law and boycott the state because whenever we allow any discrimination, we
make it possible for the infection to spread.
Maybe as
a result of this economic pressure, Indiana lawmakers, like Nic Cage’s
character, will proclaim, “You ruined my life!” To which we respond with the
same words as Cher’s character: “That’s impossible! It was ruined when I got
here!”
This essay was published in Time
Magazine’s blog on March 31, 2015.
The Author Time columnist
Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA champion and league Most Valuable Player. He is
also a celebrated author, filmmaker and education ambassador.
