New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie: “This Sharia Law Business Is Crap”

New Jersey's Republican Gov. Chris Christie didn't pull any punches when he defended a Muslim American lawyer recently appointed to the state bench.

By Jorge Rivas Aug 04, 2011

New Jersey’s governor Chris Christie has been known to spread a conservative agenda across the state. But a week ago he surprised both his supporters and his opponents when he defended his appointment of Muslim-American lawyer Sohail Mohammed to the state’s superior court. Talking Points Memo’s Josh Marshall flagged the gruff gov’s tirade against bigotry in his blog today.

"It’s just unnecessary to be accusing this guy of things just because of his religious background," Chrstie said at a press conference last week.

When asked by a reporter about the threat of Sharia laws, Christie called the complaints "crap." "Sharia Law has nothing to do with this at all, it’s crazy!" he said at the press conference. "The guy is an American citizen!," he yelled. "Sharia Law business is just crap." Watch the show for yourself above.

According to a New York Times story back when Christie first nominated Mohammed, in January, the defense attorney represented many people rounded up by overzealous law enforcement after 9/11. In his remarks last week, Christie pointed out that "there were lots of people inappropriately detained by the FBI post-9/11" and that Mohammed played a critical role in creating productive relationships between law enforcement and Muslim American communities.

Mohammed would be the just second Muslim American judge to serve in New Jersey’s Superior Court, according to the Times.