Othering & Belonging Institute

This report on the anti-Sharia movement in the United States addresses the legalized othering of Muslim communities across the nation through anti-Muslim legislation and bills between the years 2000 and 2016. Within the broader context of rising anti-Muslim sentiment, discrimination, securitization and acts of violence against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim, this report sheds light on the anti-Sharia movement – part of the more organized, contemporary Islamophobia movement in the US since 2010. As a result of these organized Islamophobia efforts, the anti-Sharia legislation movement has been established, and continues to expand, by an unfounded fear of “creeping Sharia,” proliferated by fabrications, lies, and intentionally misconstrued information surrounding Muslims in the United States.