In Sunni Islam, scholars, a thousand years ago, determined the societal laws (hadith) every Muslim should adhere to without any discussion or debate. All based on the interpretations religious men, who lived in medieval times, declared to be true. Then, they closed the books on any future argument and declared it a heresy to question their judgments. In modern America, similar concepts have emerged, mainly Originalism and Textualism. Both, basically, demand that interpretations of the Constitution adhere to the same conditions under which it was written. What the Founders intended at the time remains timeless in spite of modernity and ever changing social and political orders. As in extreme Islam, Originalism is Christian Talibanism and Wahhabism in disguise.
What ancient people intended for their world must now be transported through times to apply to our world. Regardless of new liberties we acquired through far more mature human rights laws, and regardless of technology and advancement in sciences, which have made life easier and richer. As well as more dangerous because of Congress willingness to permit the sale of far more lethal weapons.
This is the reason why the interpretation of the Second Amendment has remained fixated on gun ownership regardless of their immensely acquired development to kill en masse. If Originalism is true to its interpretation, should we not all be buying muskets today? Instead of AR/15’s?
And as Muslim Originalism treats women with contempt, so, it seems, the Supreme Court’s Originalism is starting to do.
My bet is that none of the Justices has made the connection between the hadith Originalism and today’s violent Islam.
MUSLIM ORIGINALISM AND ITS IMPACT
The hadith remains, to this day, the reason why extreme Islam has led the whole religion astray. Imagine that questioning these ancient and archaic laws, someone wrote a thousand years ago, could lead to a Muslim’s death. No argument, no debate, and no deliberation. Just accept Muslim Originalism even if that means turning the clock back on human progress and human rights.
It is the Hadith, or Muslim Originalism, that led to the rise of Wahhabism by a Saudi cleric Mohammad Bin Abdul Wahab in 18th century Saudi Arabia, which is the doctrine behind ISIS, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. And as the Supreme Court, whose majority today believes in Originalism, rolls back the clock on abortion, it won’t be long before it rolls back other American rights to enshrine into laws past conditions modernity cannot possibly accept.
America is heading backwards towards extreme violence the kind we witnessed in Syria and elsewhere. And if you think this is alarmist, just notice the rise of violent rhetoric we see coming from the Christian al-Qaeda organically growing and multiplying in Texas. Read the threats that Pastor Dillon Awes leveled against gay people in this country when he preached he would like to line them up against a wall and shoot them in the back of the head.
That’s Originalism for you. Taking us back in times to slavery, lynching, wild killings, and lawlessness. We should thank all the conservative Supreme Court Justices for their shortsightedness.
My bet is that none of the Justices has made the connection between the hadith Originalism and today’s violent Islam. When they do, Americans killing each other would have become just about as routine as watering your plants.
Car bombs are just around the corner, folks. Thanks to SCOTUS Originalism.