TAMPA — The question of what law applies in any Florida courtroom usually comes down to two choices: federal or state.

But Hillsborough Circuit Judge Richard Nielsen is being attacked by conservative bloggers after he ruled in a lawsuit March 3 that, to resolve one crucial issue in the case, he will consult a different source.

“This case,” the judge wrote, “will proceed under Ecclesiastical Islamic Law.”

Nielsen said he will decide in a lawsuit against a local mosque, the Islamic Education Center of Tampa, whether the parties in the litigation properly followed the teachings of the Koran in obtaining an arbitration decision from an Islamic scholar.

The suit was filed by several men who say they were improperly ousted as trustees in 2002. The dispute may decide who controls $2.2 million the center received from the state after some of its land was used in a road project.

But attorney Paul Thanasides last week appealed Nielson’s decision with the 2nd District Court of Appeal, saying religion has no place in a secular court.

His client: the mosque.

“The mosque believes wholeheartedly in the Koran and its teachings,” Thanasides said Monday. “They certainly follow Islamic law in connection with their spiritual endeavors. But with respect to secular endeavors, they believe Florida law should apply in Florida courts.”

For the rest of this Story
http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/civil/article1158818.ece

Face Forward Comments:
Here it comes America.  You are going to see this more and more all of the time. 
I have two truths for you. America is not a melting pot any longer and Diversity does not make us stronger.

If you listen to the nightly news, you will occasionally get a tidbit of the battles that are being fought in Mexico. These wars range from turf wars to full scale military operations.  Throw in a few political assassinations along the way and you might think you understand what it is like living near the border.

As good as I thought I was at dreaming up nightmarish landscapes and dangerous situations, I had no idea how bad it was, until I read through the latest edition of the El Paso Times.  It is the local newspaper serving  the upper Rio Grande valley of Texas and southern New Mexico. You won’t have to read the whole story (and who would have time to read all of them).  The headlines will be enough to communicate the problem we are facing. Mexico is a country out of control.

Sadly, like any disease, it spreads and the epidemic has crossed our borders. Every major city in CA, AZ, NM, and TX is in danger and some have already began see the symptoms.  Latin gang violence in our cities in in the prisons has almost reached the breaking point.  The war has already been declared on you even if you didn’t know it.

My question; Why doesn’t the current administration take on these drug lords and close down the border?  Does it seem odd that with all the problems our border states are facing, this administration has said almost nothing about defending us.  In fact some border states are now suing the Feds for protection.  Let’s protect the border states, even it means a border war. We have invaded other countries for far less and it would be a great reason to bring all of our troops home.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/juarez