MINNEAPOLIS – An anti-shari’a (Islamic law) bill deemed discriminatory by the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has been shelved by the lawmaker who introduced it. 

According to a press release from Republican State Senator Dave Thompson, the bill is off, as he said, “It was never my intent to introduce legislation that was being targeted to any one group.”

CAIR-MN had stood against the bill along with interfaith leaders. The announcement came following a news conference CAIR-MN held earlier Monday “with interfaith leaders to challenge the threat to religious freedom posed by the bill.”

“We thank Senator Thompson for dropping this discriminatory bill and hope his responsible decision sends a message to all those elected officials in other states who are supporting similarly unconstitutional legislation,” said CAIR-MN Civil Rights Coordinator Munazza Humayun in a press  statement.

The bill introduced by Thompson, S2281, was dubbed an “anti-Islam bill“ that was a ”boilerplate copy-pasted verbatim from a far right policy group.” 

The group referenced by CAIR is lead by  David Yerushalmi, whom CAIR says is an anti-Islam extremist who has worked to push the idea that Shari’a is creeping into U.S. legal systems. 

 — TAAN