The Incompatibility of Sharia Law with the U.S. Constitution

Apostasy: the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief.

By Allen West | ACRU | February 18, 2026

Here at home in the Lone Star State, early voting has begun in the 2026 Texas Primary, which will last from 17 to 27 February. The primary election day is March 3rd. One of the legislative ballot proposals on the Republican ballot is to ban Sharia law in the State of Texas. I do not think you will find such a proposal on the ballot of the Marxist left. Of course, when confronted by the usual Islamist suspects, such as CAIR (Council for American-Islamic Relations), you will hear the tired denigration of “islamophobia.” Just a reminder, CAIR is designated as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest Islamic terrorism funding case in US history, the Holy Land Foundation trial of 2008, right here in Texas. They have also been designated by the Texas Governor as a foreign terrorist organization, meaning they should be shut down in the State of Texas.

Previously, we had a constitutional brief that asked a critical question about the alignment of Islam with our US Constitution. I want to delve deeper into this issue with the question about Sharia law, Islamic jurisprudence, and its compatibility with our Constitution, indeed, with Western principles and values. And I think it just takes a simple examination of the very first right, liberty, freedom that our American constitution grants in the Bill of Rights, the Freedom of Religion and the free exercise thereof, with the understanding that our Congress shall make no laws regarding the establishment of religion (the establishment clause). And the protection of citizens’ right to practice their religion as they please, as long as the practice does not run contrary to public morals or in violation of the law (free exercise clause). That is quite the contrast when considering Sharia law.

Under Sharia law, there is no such thing as freedom of religion, as we well know; religious minorities are brutally persecuted in Muslim-majority countries. But there is another aspect to this persecution, the crime of apostasy. Muslims cannot freely decide to denounce Islam and choose another faith belief without consequences and ramifications. As part of Sharia law, there is a crime called hudud, which is determined to be a crime against the rights of allah, their god, yes, I used small “a” and “g.” These crimes are capital crimes and punishable by death, or at a minimum, imprisonment.

There are some 10 to 13 countries that consider apostasy, Muslims leaving Islam, as a crime. They are: Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Malaysia, Maldives, Nigeria (northern Muslim-dominated regions), and Pakistan. I do find it disconcerting that our Country has “favorable” relations with countries on this list. And I remember the Abdul Rahman case when I was deployed to Afghanistan; it was troubling for us to be there fighting for Afghan freedom, when a man was sentenced to die for becoming a Christian.

This is one of the many reasons there is no compatibility between Sharia law and our Constitution. And if you think not, then consider the case of Nissar Hussain of Bradford, England. You can read his story here. Nissar and I met for the first time on Monday. He is touring the United States to tell his story. The story of a British Pakistani Muslim man who converted from Islam to Christianity and has been brutally attacked, and has had to live a life of secrecy, along with his family, under protection because of the Sharia law following muslim community in his hometown. Nissar has been treated as a leper, worse, he has been condemned to death by a sharia court, why? Simply because he renounced Islam.

I asked Nissar the integral question that we should all consider, “Is Islam a religion?” Nissar responded with direct clarity, “No, it is not; it is a death cult.”

It is time that we stop allowing Islamists to project guilt upon those of us who question their totalitarian theocratic-political belief that masquerades as a religion in order to secure certain protections. We should not want to see the fate that Nissar suffers come to our shores because we were tolerant of the intolerant. As I have often stated, “when tolerance becomes a one-way street, it leads to cultural suicide.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Conference truly encapsulated that thought.

There can only be one rule of law in America, our Constitutional Republic, and that is our U.S. Constitution. We must find men and women of courage, principle, and resolve to protect and defend our way of life and system of justice. Texas is taking the step to ban an incompatible legal system from our State; this should be happening all across America. Nissar Hussain is here as the sentinel warning us of what could come. Remember how it happens: migrate, populate, agitate, and dominate. What stage do you think the UK is in? What stage do you think America is in when it comes to the Islamization of our Nation?

Steadfast and Loyal.