“For most inhabitants of modern, Western countries, religion is an incubator of values, not the source of binding law,” writes Sheila Kennedy in a meditation on “The Retreat of the Puritans”.

This realization is at the heart of what’s causing problems for Islam in the United States. The American system of government has disconnected religious laws from civil laws.

What does that mean for American Muslims?

You can read more of Kennedy’s commentary here.