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CP VOICES do not necessarily reflect the views of The Christian Post. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

America has a choice to make before the choice is made for us. We can decide now that the Constitution is the final authority in this country — or we can wait until competing systems of authority become so deeply established that reclaiming that principle becomes far more difficult.

This isn't hypothetical. It is already a subject of congressional hearings, state investigations and public debate.

In February, a House Judiciary Subcommittee examined the relationship between political Islam, Sharia law, and the Constitution. A second hearing followed in May, with lawmakers considering safeguards to ensure that American courts cannot enforce religious or foreign-law decisions that violate constitutional rights. Twelve states have passed legislation to ban or restrict Sharia law in order to preempt this potential infiltration.

Texas is one of those states and has taken this issue seriously. In a recent speech, Governor Greg Abbott stated, “We are not waiting on Washington, DC. We will fully ban Sharia Law in Texas.” He directed state officials to investigate entities in North Texas that appeared to be operating as “Sharia tribunals.” Attorney General Ken Paxton subsequently launched an investigation into the Dallas-based Islamic Tribunal over allegations that it represented its decisions as final judgments with the approval of the Texas judicial system.

Because I have spent years working in Northern Nigeria, where I have seen firsthand what happens when religious ideology becomes a political system, and institutions designed to serve a community gradually become instruments for political power.

The process does not necessarily begin with a revolution. It often begins quietly.

First comes the social base: religious organizations, schools, charities and community networks. Then comes political organization. Advocacy groups form. Coalitions deepen. Leaders emerge. Next comes institutional influence — representation in government, education, courts and other centers of authority. Then comes the campaign to change the law, so that religious principles increasingly shape family law, education, criminal law or other areas of public life. Eventually comes political power. And where Islamism succeeds, the ultimate objective can be constitutional change: making Sharia a source of legislation, expanding religious courts or establishing Islam as a governing framework. Finally comes consolidation, when institutions are reorganized to preserve a new political order.

The point is not that every Muslim follows this path. They do not. Muslims, like Americans of every faith, have the right to practice their religion freely. Private religious counseling and voluntary arbitration are not the issue.