The Constitution is Pretty Good at Defending Itself

In a number cities around the nation yesterday, coordinated groups took to the streets to protest sharia law as a threat to the Constitution and the country. The rallies were organized by ACT for America, which claims Islamic law is incompatible with Western democracy. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, calls ACT for America the largest anti-Muslim group in the country. Many of the protests were met by counter protests that were, in some cases, even larger. Clashes ensued and so goes another Saturday afternoon in divided America.

To be clear, the divide isn't necessarily between Republicans and Democrats or conservatives and liberals. In this case, the divide seems to be between the incurably stupid and everyone else. Most of the sharia protesters did invoke President Trump's name somewhere in their signage which could point to the GOP having a disproportionate share of the incurably stupid within their ranks but the sheer absurdity of the protesters argument and the blatant Islamaphobia it promotes transcends even the low bar set by today's GOP.

Time magazine captured a quote summing up the anti sharia protest message from Seattle participant Aaron Bassford, 29. "I'm not going to tell them they can come here and take away my Second Amendment right. We need unity in this country under no ideology and no banner except the Constitution of the United States of America."

The "them" Mr. Bassford refers to are Muslims - all Muslims. He then jumps right to the threat sharia poses to the second amendment of the Constitution presumably because sharia can be interpreted to mandate non-Muslims cannot carry swords or other weapons used in the 7th century, the time to which the roots of sharia can be traced.

Mr. Bassford and his comrades inexplicably miss the point that the second amendment is under no threat from sharia law because the first, fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, ninetieth, and twenty fourth all have stipulations protecting against everything, fact or fiction, the protesters assert regarding sharia. The only amendment to the Constitution that bears any resemblance to giving a foothold to sharia law in America is the eighteenth. Of course, that amendment which enacted prohibition was promptly repealed by the twenty first in 1933.

Odds are few of the protesters have ever studied the Constitution, let alone read it, and thus have no idea about what they speak. Through their ignorant message, the protesters apply the threat posed by radical Islamists universally to all Muslims. Aside from being wildly untrue, the assertion certainly does not advance the cause of unity to which Mr. Bassford also spoke. American Muslims are not only entitled to participate in a conversation around battling radical extremism, their perspective is welcome in the conversation as Americans and patriots.

Yesterday's protests fall squarely under the protection the first amendment provides. However, through its strength of word, the Constitution is pretty good at defending itself and certainly didn't need any assistance from the incurably stupid that assembled in claim of its defense yesterday. Measured against the strength of the word in that 230 year old document and its twenty seven amendments the protestors message of intolerance and hate becomes clearly visible. And it's a message that looks pitiful next to the core foundation of American freedom.