>> Stewart: CALIFORNIA MARKED A
HISTORIC MILESTONE THIS YEAR
WHEN THE STATE'S FIRST MUSLIM
JUDGE, HALIM DHANIDINA, WAS
APPOINTED TO THE CALIFORNIA
COURT OF APPEAL.
HIS POSITION COMES AT A TIME OF
RISING ANTI-MUSLIM SENTIMENT
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WITH PEOPLE
JUDGING HIM BECAUSE OF HIS
RELIGION AND QUESTIONING HIS
ROLE IN DEMOCRACY.
PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SPECIAL
CORRESPONDENT DAVID TERESHCHUK
HAS THE STORY.
>> Reporter: A REGULAR FAMILY
MAN, TO ALL INTENTS AND
PURPOSES.
HALIM DHANIDINA SPENDS MUCH OF
THE WEEKEND WITH HIS CHILDREN.
BUT ON WORKING DAYS, DHANIDINA
WIELDS GREAT AUTHORITY OVER
OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES AND
FAMILIES AS A JUDGE.
AND HE CARRIES AN UNCOMMON
DISTINCTION IN AMERICA'S
COURTROOMS.
HE'S A MUSLIM.
ONE OF VERY FEW AMONG THIS
COUNTRY'S JUDGES.
>> I'VE BEEN FACED WITH PEOPLE
WHO WOULD MAKE IGNORANT OR
BIGOTED COMMENTS.
AND IT WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT
YOU LEARN TO DEAL WITH.
IT'S VERY EASY FOR PEOPLE TO
SAY, TO IMAGINE WHAT HORRIBLE
THINGS WOULD HAPPEN IF A MUSLIM
IS A JUDGE, IF THERE AREN'T ANY
MUSLIM JUDGES.
BY PROVIDING WHAT I'M HOPING IS
A COUNTEREXAMPLE, IT SORT OF
DEMYSTIFIES THE SUBJECT.
>> Reporter: AMERICA'S MOST
SENIOR JUDGE PROFESSING THE
FAITH OF ISLAM HAD A SUBSTANTIAL
CAREER IN THE CALIFORNIA STATE
COURT SYSTEM, PROGRESSING TO
MORE ELEVATED POSITIONS OVER
TIME, AND ENDING UP HERE,
SITTING ON THE STATE COURT OF
APPEAL.
DHANIDINA WAS BORN IN CHICAGO TO
GUJARATI PARENTS FROM THE INDIAN
SUBCONTINENT WHO'D ALREADY
MIGRATED TO EAST AFRICA BEFORE
COMING TO AMERICA.
HE ATTENDED COLLEGE IN
CALIFORNIA, GAINING HIS LAW
DEGREE THERE TOO.
HE THEN GOT A JUNIOR JOB IN A
DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, SOON
BECOMING A PROSECUTOR HIMSELF.
A COLLEAGUE FROM THOSE DAYS,
JUDGE ANDREW KIM, RECALLS HIM
WELL.
>> TALKING TO HIM ABOUT CASES,
IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT HE WAS
LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD OF ME IN TERMS
OF TRYING CASES, HIS ABILITY TO
CONNECT WITH JURIES.
>> Reporter: DHANIDINA CAME TO
TAKE THE LEAD IN PROSECUTING THE
KINDS OF CRIME TO WHICH
CALIFORNIA'S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
APPLIES SOME NO-NONSENSE LABELS.
>> THE LAST TWO TRIAL
ASSIGNMENTS I HAD WERE THE
"HARDCORE GANG DIVISION," WHICH
IS I THINK WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING
TO, AND THEN THE "MAJOR CRIMES
DIVISION" WAS THE ONE I WENT TO
AFTER THAT.
>> Reporter: SOUNDS LIKE HEAVY
DUTY?
>> YOU COULD SAY THAT.
I MEAN LOS ANGELES DOES HAVE
SOMETHING OF A GANG PROBLEM.
I WAS IN THAT UNIT FOR ALMOST
FOUR YEARS HANDLING ANY KIND OF
VIOLENT CRIME, USUALLY MURDERS
OR ATTEMPTED MURDERS, THAT HAD A
GANG-RELATED ANGLE.
>> Reporter: IN 2012, GOVERNOR
JERRY BROWN MADE HIM A SUPERIOR
COURT JUDGE.
INITIALLY AT LEAST, DHANIDINA
DIDN'T THINK MUCH ABOUT HIS
BEING THE FIRST MUSLIM TO BE
APPOINTED TO THE BENCH IN
CALIFORNIA.
THEN THINGS CHANGED WHEN HE WAS
GREETED WITH MORE THAN JUST
CONGRATULATIONS.
>> THERE WAS SOME NEGATIVE
FEEDBACK TOO, MOSTLY ON THE
INTERNET, CERTAIN WEBSITES THAT,
I THINK IT WAS SORT OF A THIRD
RAIL FOR THEM OR THE PEOPLE WHO
READ THEIR SITES TO HAVE A
MUSLIM APPOINTED AS A JUDGE.
AND SO REALLY HORRIBLE THINGS
WERE BEING WRITTEN ABOUT ME.
>> Reporter: THE GOVERNOR'S
OFFICE RECEIVED SLEWS OF HATE
MAIL ABOUT DHANIDINA, INCLUDING
THREATS TO HIS SAFETY.
BUT THE NEGATIVE RESPONSE DID
NOT STOP GOVERNOR BROWN FROM
PROMOTING HIM TO THE STATE
COURTS OF APPEAL IN 2018, MAKING
HIM THE COUNTRY'S HIGHEST-
RANKING MUSLIM JUDGE.
UNDETERRED BY THREATS, DHANIDINA
IS MATTER-OF-FACT ABOUT HIS ROLE
AS BOTH MUSLIM AND JUDGE.
>> MUSLIMS CAN PARTICIPATE FULLY
IN THE CIVIC INSTITUTIONS OF THE
UNITED STATES WITH HONOR OR EVEN
WITH DISTINCTION.
AND THAT YOUR RELIGIOUS
BACKGROUND DOESN'T NEED TO BE AN
OBSTACLE TO THAT.
>> Reporter: HE SEES IT AS AN
IMPORTANT PART OF HIS JOB TO GO
OUT AMONG THE COMMUNITY.
HERE HE'S HELPING TO PRESIDE AT
A BRIDGE-BUILDING EVENT THAT
LINKS LOS ANGELES' JEWS WITH THE
CITY'S MUSLIMS.
>> YOU HAVE ALL TAKEN RISKS TO
BE HERE CLEARLY, FIGHTING THE
TRAFFIC TONIGHT WAS THE FIRST
RISK.
EVERYONE MENTIONED IT.
>> Reporter: HIS CO-CHAIR IS
JEWISH, RACHEL ANDRES.
>> HE CARES SO MUCH ABOUT THE
COMMUNITY, ABOUT MUSLIMS, ABOUT
JEWS, ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS, ABOUT
FAIRNESS, ABOUT EQUALITY.
I'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW HIM OVER THE
PAST FOUR PLUS YEARS, WHEN IT'S
BEEN A PRETTY DIFFICULT TIME IN
AMERICA AND I FEEL LIKE WE'VE
HAD EACH OTHER'S BACKS.
AFTER THE PITTSBURGH SHOOTING,
WHEN I TURNED ON MY PHONE, MY
FIRST EMAIL WAS FROM HALIM.
AND THAT WAS SO MEANINGFUL THAT
HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON THAT
REACHED OUT.
>> Reporter: DHANIDINA WAS
BROUGHT UP IN THE ISMAILI BRANCH
OF ISLAM, WHICH EMPHASIZES
RESPECT FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S
BELIEFS AND TRADITIONS.
>> THAT WAS DRIVEN HOME BY MY
PARENTS AND BY, YOU KNOW, OTHER
ISMAILIS, WHO HAVE LEARNED VERY
EARLY ON THAT PLURALISM IN
SOCIETY IS A GOOD THING, AND
DIVERSITY IN SOCIETY IS A
STRENGTH.
AND NO BETTER PLACE TO
DEMONSTRATE THAT REALLY THAN A
PLACE LIKE THE UNITED STATES.
>> Reporter: IN TODAY'S UNITED
STATES, DHANIDINA USES HIS
POSITION TO REACH OUT IN PERHAPS
UNEXPECTED DIRECTIONS.
HE HAS ADDRESSED A CHAPTER OF
THE CONSERVATIVE FEDERALIST
SOCIETY AT THE EVANGELICAL
CHRISTIAN TRINITY LAW SCHOOL.
>> AS SOMEONE WHO IS MUSLIM, WHO
WAS A LAWYER AND NOW IS A JUDGE
AND NOW IS AN APPELLATE JUSTICE,
IT'S PART OF MY RESPONSIBILITY
TO, WHERE THERE ARE
OPPORTUNITIES, TO TRY TO EDUCATE
PEOPLE.
>> Reporter: THE FEDERALISTS AT
TRINITY WANTED TO DISCUSS A FEAR
FREQUENTLY VOICED AMONG
CONSERVATIVES-- THAT SHARIA LAW,
THE BODY OF RELIGIOUS LAW
OBSERVED BY MANY MUSLIMS, MIGHT
BE GAINING UNDUE INFLUENCE IN
AMERICA'S COURTROOMS.
>> THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT BEING
MUSLIM THAT PEOPLE BELIEVE MAKES
YOU AN ADHERENT TO THIS VERSION
OF WHAT'S CALLED "SHARIA LAW"
THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT FROM WHAT
THEY SEE ON THE NEWS.
YOU KNOW, THE HORRIBLE THINGS
DONE IN THE NAME OF RELIGION IN
OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.
>> Reporter: BEHEADINGS.
>> BEHEADINGS, YOU KNOW,
KIDNAPPINGS.
BOKO HARAM, AL SHABAAB.
AL QAEDA CERTAINLY.
HEZBOLLAH, HAMAS.
YOU NAME IT.
AND SO THEREFORE PEOPLE BELIEVE
IF A MUSLIM WERE IN THE LEGAL
SYSTEM THEY WOULD APPLY THAT
TYPE OF LAW IN OUR SOCIETY.
I'VE ALWAYS FELT THAT THERE ARE
PEOPLE WHO HAVE THESE DOUBTS IN
GOOD FAITH SO I WANT TO TRY TO
DISPEL THEM IF I CAN.
>> Reporter: INDEED THERE IS A
PERSISTENT ANTI-SHARIA MOVEMENT
AFOOT.
SINCE 2010, OVER 200 BILLS HAVE
BEEN INTRODUCED IN 43 DIFFERENT
STATE LEGISLATURES WITH THE
INTENT TO BAN SHARIA LAW FROM
BEING INVOKED IN ANY COURT.
13 STATES HAVE PASSED THESE
BILLS INTO LAW.
>> THAT ISSUE, I THINK, IS
PERHAPS BEING USED AS SORT OF A
WEDGE ISSUE TO TRY TO ISOLATE AN
INSULAR MINORITY OR MAKE PEOPLE
FEEL THAT AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO
HAPPEN TO BE MUSLIM ARE FOREIGN.
>> Reporter: DHANIDINA BELIEVES
THE FEAR BEHIND THESE ANTI-
SHARIA MOVES IS ENTIRELY
BASELESS AND THAT IT'S IMPORTANT
THAT HE, A MUSLIM JUDGE, DELIVER
THAT MESSAGE.
>> I THINK THE LAW APPLIES THE
SAME TO EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF
THEIR RELIGION, REGARDLESS OF
THEIR GENDER, AND THAT THE LEGAL
SYSTEM IS INTENDED TO BE FREE
FROM RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE, IT'S A
SECULAR SYSTEM.
>> DO YOU BELIEVE THAT UNDER THE
WAGE ORDER...
>> Reporter: SO JUST HOW DOES
THE JUSTICE'S BACKGROUND AS A
MUSLIM INFORM HIS DECISION
MAKING IN COURT?
>> WITHIN THE RELIGION OF ISLAM,
JUST LIKE JUDAISM AND
CHRISTIANITY, BUDDHISM, ET
CETERA, THERE ARE ETHICAL CODES
AND PROBABLY NOT SURPRISING,
MAYBE SURPRISINGLY, THEY'RE THE
SAME ACROSS THE BOARD.
HONESTY.
INTEGRITY.
FAIRNESS.
JUSTICE.
MERCY.
THESE ARE CONCEPTS THAT ALL OF
THE MAJOR RELIGIONS THAT I'M
AWARE OF HAVE IN COMMON.
AND TO THAT EXTENT, MY RELIGIOUS
UPBRINGING OR BELIEFS PLAY A
ROLE BECAUSE I THINK IT IS
IMPORTANT TO BE HONEST, HAVE
INTEGRITY, AND TREAT PEOPLE
FAIRLY.
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