Here’s a number that should stop all of us cold: 43 percent of voters aged 18 to 24 say they have a positive view of sharia law.
That stunning revelation comes from a recent national poll of 1,026 likely voters by Rasmussen Reports and the nonpartisan research organization Our Republic. Of little comfort is the realization that, overall, the survey found that 21 percent of American voters view sharia favorably.
We're creeping dangerously close to one out of four people you pass on the street saying, sure, put all the women in burkas. That's a pretty chilling thought.
Here's how the poll defined sharia law:
Sharia is a system of Islamic religious principles and law, derived primarily from the Quran and the teachings and practices of Muhammad, that addresses matters including religious practice, personal conduct, family life, finance, and often civil and criminal law.
In other words, sharia is Islamic law. Islamic law is sharia law.
And we've seen what it looks like in practice.
Sometimes, it's eating, praying, or handling food and money in a certain way. Other times, it's caning adulterers, hanging homosexuals, and hiding women behind head-to-clothing, while also preventing them from going to school or being active, visible members of society.
Great stuff, eh? And, somehow, our kids think it's all peachy keen.
Younger voters view Islamic sharia law much more positively than do their elders , most of whom see sharia as a threat to America’s future. More At Rasmussen Reports: https://t.co/ATpBxlB9Zb https://t.co/KHrtVrpcfn
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) October 3, 2026
The trouble, of course, really starts when sharia becomes the law of the land. In countries that live by it and enforce it today, it has meant women inheriting half what their brothers get, punishments like flogging and amputation, and laws against blasphemy or leaving Islam. Things that are not only deeply troubling, but also completely incompatible with the U.S. Constitution.
Yet, as this poll shows, about a quarter of voters ages 18 to 35 would let an America community adopt sharia as its legal code if it got the majority of the vote. Nearly a third of 25-to-29-year-olds would require public schools to teach its “benefits” to our children.
The partisan split is striking, but not surprising to those who have been paying attention. Twenty-six percent of Democrats view sharia favorably. The poll asked which is the bigger threat to America’s future: sharia or the U.S. being allied with Israel. Democrats, of course, picked Israel, 32 percent to 23 percent.
By comparison, 68 percent of Republicans said sharia was the bigger threat. When the choice was sharia or traditional Christianity, 80 percent of Republicans and 52 percent of independents named sharia the greater threat. Just 34 percent of Democrats did.
Justin Haskins, president of Our Republic, commented on those numbers:
These results reveal a striking generational divide in Americans’ attitudes toward sharia. While a clear majority of voters overall have a negative view of sharia and an overwhelming majority oppose allowing it to become the legal code of an American community, large numbers of younger Americans hold very different views.
As RedState readers know, the political world is right in line with these polls. Michigan Democrat Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who once said he felt an obligation to live the “Shariah-compliant way,” has also said that state bans on sharia in the courts are rooted in white supremacy.
Lovely.
Then there’s McKinney, Texas, which approved a new mosque in August over loud local opposition. The mosque’s imam also helps lead the Islamic Tribunal of North Dallas, which Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating over allegations that it imposes sharia on disputes among Texas Muslims. Texas Gov. Abbott now wants Texas to ban sharia outright.
On that note, there is some good news to end on. A full 83 percent of poll respondents said no town, city, or state should adopt sharia as the legal code for everyone, even if most locals want it.
So, for now, most grown-ups still are thinking like Americans think. But a generation that believes sharia’s “benefits” belong in our schools and communities will be making decisions soon enough. Somebody had better teach them the Constitution – and quick – before they’re the ones voting on it.
