Have any states repealed or amended anti-sharia laws since their passage?
Executive summary
Several states passed laws or constitutional amendments aimed at banning “Sharia” or foreign law; courts and civil-rights groups have repeatedly challenged and sometimes blocked those measures [1] [2]. Reporting and advocacy groups say many anti‑Sharia laws were copied from model bills and promoted by networks like American Laws for American Courts and ACT for America; sources document litigation victories and ongoing debate but do not list a comprehensive set of state repeals [3] [4].
1. What “anti‑Sharia” laws are and who promoted them
Legislatures and ballot campaigns have produced a mix of statutes, constitutional amendments and model bills that restrict courts’ consideration of “foreign” or “Sharia” law; many of those measures trace to model language from groups such as American Laws for American Courts (ALAC) and activism by organizations like ACT for America and the Center for Security Policy [3] [4]. Critics argue the model bills were designed to stigmatize Muslims and to prevent courts from honoring contractual or religiously informed arbitration; proponents say the language is neutral and intended to protect U.S. law [3] [4].
2. Litigation has more often blocked implementation than legislatures have repealed laws
Civil‑rights organizations, notably the ACLU, successfully argued in federal courts that some targeted bans — particularly those singling out Islam — violate the Establishment Clause; courts have blocked implementation of at least Oklahoma’s amendment and other state measures on that basis [1] [2]. The pattern in the reporting is one of legal challenges and injunctions rather than broad legislative rollbacks: available sources emphasize court decisions overturning or blocking enforcement rather than a catalog of legislative repeals [1] [2].
3. Evidence of repeal or amendment in the sources
The documents and articles provided detail the origin, spread and litigation around anti‑Sharia bills and note judicial defeats for such measures [3] [2] [4]. These sources do not present a clear, sourced list of states that have repealed or formally amended previously enacted anti‑Sharia laws; they instead document model‑bill origins, advocacy campaigns and court rulings that blocked enforcement [3] [4] [1]. Therefore: available sources do not mention a definitive set of state legislative repeals or post‑passage amendments.
4. Recent legislative activity shows the issue remains politically salient
State-level proposals and new laws continue to appear; for example, a 2025 Texas law signed by Governor Greg Abbott banning “Sharia compounds” was announced as recently as September 2025, signaling ongoing legislative attention to perceived Sharia‑related issues [5]. That press release frames the law as protecting religious freedom while preventing discriminatory or coercive communities; opponents and civil‑liberties groups view such provisions in the broader context of anti‑Muslim legislation [5] [3].
5. Why courts matter more than repeal for practical effect
Because many anti‑Sharia measures were challenged as constitutionally discriminatory, federal courts have been the primary venue determining whether the laws take effect. The ACLU and others successfully secured rulings that an Oklahoma amendment and similar provisions likely treated Islam unfavorably and thus could not be enforced [1] [2]. That legal track record means that, in practice, judicial invalidation has often nullified the impact of some statutes even where legislatures did not formally rescind language [1] [2].
6. Competing narratives and hidden agendas
Advocates of model legislation argue the language is a neutral protection of U.S. law; critics—cited by the Center for American Progress, the Southern Poverty Law Center and others in these sources—characterize the movement as part of an organized Islamophobic campaign seeking to stigmatize Muslims and reduce the use of religious arbitration [3] [4]. The reporting highlights that much of the copy‑paste momentum came from a coordinated network with political objectives, an implicit agenda that shaped dozens of state bills [4] [3].
7. Limitations and final takeaways
The provided reporting documents the spread of anti‑Sharia legislation, its model‑bill origins and significant court victories blocking enforcement [3] [4] [1]. However, the sources do not compile a state‑by‑state accounting of formal legislative repeals or post‑enactment amendments; therefore, claims that many states have repealed such laws are not supported in the available material. For a definitive list of repeals or amendments, consult up‑to‑date legislative trackers or court dockets beyond the documents cited here, since available sources do not mention that comprehensive list [6] [2].