From 2010 through 2012 many state legislatures considered or passed laws outlawing aspects of Islamic or Shariah law. Some of them would have prohibited the enforcement of private contracts in which a “butcher would no longer be able to enforce his contract for halal meat—contracts that, like deals for kosher or other faith-sanctioned foods, are regularly enforced around the country. Nor could a Muslim banker seek damages for violations of a financial instrument certified as ‘Sharia compliant’ since it pays no interest.”88
a. Develop an argument that laws prohibiting enforcement of such contracts would be unconstitutional.
b. What historical parallels exist in which laws in the United States were seen to deny equal protection to a subgroup of American citizens?