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Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, is the sponsor of a bill that would ban foreign law from being practiced in Michigan courts. (Courtesy photo, Michigan House of Representatives)

LANSING, MI -- A bill from Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, to ban foreign laws from being used in Michigan courts was officially introduced on Thursday, and referred to the House Law and Justice Committee.

The bill would ban Michigan residents from using other countries' laws in court. The bill itself doesn't name the Sharia Law associated with Islam. But its sponsor, Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, mentioned Sharia Law specifically -- and cited an effort to end female genital mutilation -- in an email to representatives obtained by MLive.

"I have a blue back on my desk this week that would prohibit the practice of foreign laws, including Sharia Law. I believe we must send a message that these practices shall not be tolerated in the state of Michigan," Hoitenga wrote in an email to state representatives seeking co-sponsors for the bill, using the legislative slang for a bill pending formal introduction.

The bill was formally introduced Thursday afternoon, and is now available online.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Hoitenga said the bill didn't target any specific laws or groups.

"This legislation does not target any specific group or religion, it simply clarifies that foreign laws that are inconsistent with American laws will not be recognized in our courts," she said.

Eleven Republican state representatives co-sponsored the bill: Reps. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake; Rep. Daire Rendon, R-Lake City; Rep. Lana Theis, R-Brighton; Rep. Steve Johnson, R-Wayland; Rep. Pamela Hornberger, R-Chesterfield Twp.; Rep. Peter Lucido, R-Shelby Twp.; Rep. Gary Glenn, R-Midland; Rep. Jason Sheppard, R-Temperance; Rep. Scott VanSingel, R-Grant; Rep. Trison Cole, R-Mancelona; and Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Potterville.

Two Democrats, meanwhile, have emerged as strong opponents of the bill. Rep. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, and Rep. Abdullah Hammoud, D-Dearborn, issued statements against the legislation.

Hammoud said the bill would do nothing to discourage female genital mutilation, which is a cultural practice and not a part of Sharia.

"If it is Rep. Hoitenga's aim to protect girls from female genital mutilation, which is already a crime, her bill does nothing to accomplish that," Hammoud said.

"There is no need to create another law to outlaw something that is already prohibited. This bill is simply a xenophobic, Islamophobic attack on Michigan's Muslim community, which already abhors the practice of mutilation and does not want to be identified with it."

The chair of the House Law and Justice Committee, Klint Kesto, could not immediately be reached for comment on whether he would bring the bill up for a hearing.