It’s currently fashionable in some circles to worry about the future domination of shariat. People who have previously had no opinion of Islam suddenly develop a strong dislike of it because they worry about being forced to obey its laws.
A cousin recently told me about a tourist trip to Israel. The most visible threat to her safety was from the ultra-Orthodox who were offended by things like people driving on Sabbath, married women with uncovered hair. Much of Judaism is already codified into law there, much to the detriment of the atheists, agnostics and followers of other religions.
I was reminded of all that when grocery shopping at 10am on a Sunday morning. Though I do not drink alcohol, I wanted to buy cider and beer for guests. I forgot that Tennessee law prohibits sale of alcohol on Sundays before noon. Typical of the blue laws, it inconveniences the general population for some obscure reason that makes sense to religious zealots. The only result it has achieved so far is fostering contempt and the animosity for the meddlers in the legislature and for those who lobbied for such restrictions. I can buy the drinks on another day, but the resentment over the imposition remains.
One of the quickest path to being disliked is forcing your religious values on others by law. I ask adherents of all religions to separate themselves from the coercive government methods and stick to proselytizing by more friendly means.
