Sharia law is BANNED in Florida under 'terrorist infiltration' crackdown

Peter Stevens
Tue, 07 Apr 2026 03:40:58 +0000

Sharia law has been banned in Florida under new legislation to crackdown on terrorist organisations within the state.

Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, signed into law House Bill 1471, which bolsters "protections against the application of foreign and religious laws".

The law will also establish new safeguards against terrorism in the state.

Mr DeSantis said: "To uphold the rule of law, our state must operate under one legal system, the constitution must remain the law of the land, and we must defend our institutions from those who would harm us - especially terrorist organisations that seek to infiltrate and subvert our education system.

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"HB 1471 reinforces these principles in Florida, and I was proud to sign it into law today."

The law states that the courts must not "apply or enforce foreign or religious law" if it falls into conflict with the US constitution.

It also blocks "foreign judgments, contracts, or legal provisions" which attempt to bypass the law.

The law will make sure foreign terrorist organisations recognised by the United States federally are also enforced at the state level.

The organisations will then be subject to strict rules, including bans on "public funding and support".

Any person in Florida providing material support to foreign terrorist organisations would face "significant criminal penalties".

The education system is also addressed in the bill as it bans taxpayer funds to support or promote terrorist organisations.

Students caught supporting terrorism may face disciplinary action and institutions might lose access to public funds.

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In a social media post announcing his signing of the bill, Mr DeSantis said: "Millions for education and public safety but not one cent for jihad!"

Several other states have implemented some form of Sharia ban.

In September, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a law to ban the building of "Sharia compounds", such as EPIC City.

North Carolina introduced a ban on "foreign law" in family law cases in 2013.

In 2010, voters in Oklahoma passed a ballot measure to ban all foreign or religious law from state courts - but this was found to be unconstitutional by a federal judge and later upheld by appeals court.

Though in Britain, police have been accused of turning a blind eye to the spread of Sharia courts.

Government figures released just weeks ago show that fewer than three per cent of so-called “honour crimes” were successfully prosecuted last year.

Mr DeSantis, a former Republican presidential primary candidate, is term-limited as Governor and ineligible to stand in Florida's upcoming elections.

Democrats have not won a gubernatorial race in the state since 1994 - with Republicans in control of both US Senate seats, state House, and state Senate.

Mr DeSantis has declined to endorse anyone in the race, including his own Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, who was appointed in August.

He said on Monday: "I think everybody knows that when I’ve got something on my mind, that I want to let people know, that people know."

Donald Trump has endorsed Byron Donalds, a US Congressman representing Florida's 19th house district.

Also notable in the Republican primary are James Fishback, an investor who opened an anti-woke exchange-traded fund and Paul Renner, former speaker of the Florida House.