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Have any US cities attempted to incorporate Sharia elements into local rules?
Executive summary
There is no reliable reporting that any U.S. city has officially adopted or imposed Sharia as municipal law; fact‑checks and longstanding reporting say communities or cities “under Sharia law” do not exist in the United States [1][2]. Recent controversies have centered on proposed or planned private developments—most notably the EPIC/“EPIC City” project in Texas—which drew political pushback, investigations and new state legislation banning discriminatory housing schemes described by officials as trying to create “Sharia compounds” [3][4][5].
1. “Sharia cities” as a political claim — frequent, but repeatedly debunked
Claims that whole U.S. cities have been converted to Sharia rule have repeatedly surfaced in political campaigns and social media; fact‑checking organizations like PolitiFact and others have concluded there is no evidence a mayor or city government has sought to impose Sharia law on an American city and that communities “under Sharia law” do not exist in U.S. municipal law [2][1].
2. Where controversies have actually arisen: religiously centered private developments
The most prominent recent example in the reporting is the proposed EPIC Ranches/“EPIC City” development organized by the East Plano Islamic Center in Texas, described by critics as a Muslim‑centered community; that project’s announcement triggered political alarm, calls for investigation by officials including Senator John Cornyn, and public statements by Governor Greg Abbott asserting that Sharia is not allowed in Texas [4][5][3].
3. Legal reality: private arbitration, mediation and contract rules — not municipal Sharia governance
Available reporting explains that Muslims (like adherents of other faiths) may use religious tribunals, mediation or private arbitration for personal disputes or contract matters where parties consent, which U.S. courts generally treat as private dispute‑resolution so long as outcomes do not violate American law; bans targeting “Sharia” in courts have been politically popular but the American Bar Association opposed blanket bans as unnecessary given existing safeguards [6][1].
4. State responses: legislation aimed at blocking “Sharia” or foreign/religious law
Since about 2010 many states considered or passed measures to prevent courts from applying foreign or religious law; these actions reflect political concern about foreign or religious legal influence but do not equate to cities adopting Sharia as local law. The anti‑Sharia movement’s legislative push has been documented and contested in courts and civil‑liberties debates [6][1][7].
5. Political dynamics and motives behind “Sharia” alarms
Reporting shows that allegations of Sharia governance are often used as a political cudgel—targeting Muslim candidates, projects, or neighborhoods—and can lead to rapid amplification on social platforms; for example, claims about New York mayoral politics were labeled false by fact‑checkers, and the EPIC City controversy produced strong partisan reactions and subsequent state action [2][3][4]. Opponents sometimes frame religiously organized developments as segregationist or prone to imposing their religious law, while supporters and experts point to property rights, religious freedom and the difference between private communal rules and public law [3][6].
6. What reporting does and does not show about EPIC/“Sharia compounds”
Coverage documents that EPIC’s planned development drew quick interest—reservations for lots and local property effects—and that officials publicly raised concerns and launched investigations; critics described the plan as attempting to create a Muslim‑only enclave subject to Sharia, while project organizers did not, in the cited sources, have publicly stated they would replace U.S. law with Sharia as municipal governance [4][3][5]. Available sources do not mention that any city government has legally ceded municipal authority to Sharia courts.
7. Bottom line for the original question
No authoritative reporting in the provided sources shows any U.S. city has attempted to incorporate Sharia into its official municipal code or governance; controversies are concentrated on private developments, political rhetoric, and state measures to prevent the use of foreign or religious law in courts [1][4][6]. Where claims of “bringing Sharia” appear, fact‑checkers and legal commentators have found them unsupported by evidence [2].
Limitations and next steps: the provided set of sources focuses heavily on EPIC/Texas and national political claims; for a deeper legal analysis or additional local examples, consult court decisions, municipal codes and reporting beyond these items—those specific materials are not in the current reporting set (not found in current reporting).