A Florida bill that would have barred applying Muslim sharia law in family or divorce court matters, has reportedly died in the state Senate.

The measure, which experts warned could also impact Jewish divorce issues, was never brought up for a vote in the closing hours of the Senate’s legislative session, according to local reports.

The bill overwhelmingly passed the state house last week and seemed headed for easy passage in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

But Muslim and other groups lobbied leaders to hold off on passing the bill, which barred application of “foreign” laws in divorce or family court matters.

Although the bill did not mention sharia law, proponents are part of a national movement against what they see as influence of the traditional Muslim legal code.

Because of the bill’s vague wording, some Jewish leaders also worried that the bill could prevent Jewish couples from using a religious court, or beth din, to mediate divorces.

Several Jewish groups spoke out against the bill, although Jewish lawmakers in the House were divided. The bill is dead for now, but supporters note it could be brought up again in future sesssions.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount