Ahmed Bedier, an organizer with the group United Voices who will be in Tallahassee, writes in an e-mail press release that the bill was drafted by anti-Islam activist David Yerushalmi.
Bedier writes:
Yerushalmi is head of the anti-Islam hate group Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE), which on its now password-protected website offered a policy proposal that would make "adherence to Islam" punishable by 20 years in prison, called for the immediate deportation of all non-citizen Muslims and urged Congress to declare war on the "Muslim Nation," which SANE defined as "all Muslims."
Bedier says the bill would limit religious freedom for Muslims and other religions in Florida. Representatives from the Florida Bar’s Family Law Section and the American Civil Liberties Union oppose the measure, saying Florida courts already have the ability to refuse to enforce foreign laws, including the Islamic legal code based on the Koran.
The Florida Family Association is strongly backing the legislation. That's the organization and brainchild of noted Hillsborough County social conservative David Caton, who has shown an amazing ability to make major corporations quake in their boots when he targets a cause and gets his thousands of supporters to follow his lead.
Caton's group was extremely influential late last year in getting the home improvement chain Lowe's to withdraw its ads from the TLC reality show All-American Muslim.
The Muslim activists have an uphill battle in trying to quell the legislation. In two subcommittees in the House, the proposal passed with overwhelmingly bipartisan support: 14-1 in one committee and 13-0 in the other.
