I’m sorry but I take issue with your post where you state “nothing wrong with pockets of Sharia”
In this country, we have a set of laws. I’m not naive enough to think that all politicians and officials follow the rule of law, but the point is we are all US citizens subject to US law. Sharia makes a subset of the population exempt from that. And sharia law is diametrically opposed to our western way of life.
We cannot have different rules for different groups.
The muslims refuse to assimilate.
Theodore Roosevelt on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN
“In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man’s becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
If people in this country follow Sharia and STAY within their respective state laws and abide by national laws (IRS) then there's no problem with "pockets of Sharia."
Sharia and Christian Americans have co-existed in Saudi Arabia (KSA) since the late 1920's.
Not too many places on this planet follow Sharia to the letter. It's not even followed that rigidly in the KSA. I would know that since we lived over there for five years.
Sharia doesn't allow for Christians in the land of Mecca, but we had "special teachers" there for us Christians. The Saudi government just "renamed" the priests, vicars and ministers. I attended daily Mass in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, for five years. The priests were of the Franciscan order as I recall.
The Saudis send their brightest and best (both genders) to the USA to be educated. One day the petroleum and natural gas will be gone and they are preparing for that now by educating their youth.
Sharia is a code to live by but the Saudis, being practical, deal with it so as to continue the flow of petroleum and natural gas.
The spice must flow! Ooops, sorry, got caught up in a movie.
Amen to that.