American Civil Liberties Union

If it’s true that timing is everything in dance, then Tennessee legislators could use a few more lessons if they ever hope to perfect the evolution two-step they are performing this week. Today marks the 86th anniversary of the Butler Act, which was signed into law by Tennessee Gov. Austin Peay on March 21, 1925. The Butler Act criminalized the teaching of evolution or any other principle that "denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible" and sparked one of the most famous legal proceedings of the 20th century — what is often referred to now as the "Scopes Monkey Trial." The trial, during which biology teacher John Scopes (shown right) was defended by ACLU attorneys Clarence Darrow and Arthur Garfield Hays, captured the attention of the nation, and to this day, remains a stain on Tennessee’s public education system.

"While there was no large-scale communal violence against religious minorities during the reporting period, attacks on . . . Muslims and their places of worship continued, along with incidences of intolerance . . ."

Pop quiz! To which country does the above quotation refer: (a) India; (b) the United States; or (c) both India and the United States? Technically, the answer is "(a) India," which is now on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom's watch list as a country in need of "close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the governments." Of course, in light of the rash of anti-Muslim sentiment and activities across the United States in recent months, no one would have faulted you had you chosen "b" or "c."

Ten years ago today, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), a federal civil rights statute that gives houses of worship heightened protection in zoning disputes. The ACLU actively supported passage of the statute in 2000 and has since used the law numerous times in defense of churches, synagogues, and mosques around the country.

The anti-Muslim crowd is at it again. Last week, shortly after publication of an ACLU report debunking the myth that "Sharia law" is overtaking our courts, the Center for Security Policy (CSP) issued a 633-page report. The CSP "study" of the issue does not even try to dispute the fact that, as the ACLU report concluded, our courts treat claims brought by Muslims or involving Islamic law in the same way that they treat lawsuits brought by people of other faiths or touching on other religious beliefs (and, indeed, lawsuits involving no religion at all). Instead, the CSP report consists mostly of 50 judicial opinions, which the authors copied and pasted word-for-word simply because they mention Islam or involve claims brought by Muslims, contending that these cases serve as evidence of the so-called "Sharia threat."