Obama, Ramadan: ‘Forcing U.S. Troops To Submit To Sharia Law During Ramadan’ Likely False

FILE - This May 27, 2014, file photo shows President Barack Obama, standing in the White House Rose Garden, and speaking about the future of US troops in Afghanistan. Obama outlined a timetable for the gradual withdrawal of the last U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and confidently declared, "This is how wars end in the 21st century." But less than three weeks later, there is a sudden burst of uncertainty surrounding the way Obama has moved to bring the two conflicts he inherited to a close. In Iraq, a fast-moving Islamic insurgency is pressing toward Baghdad, raising the possibility of fresh American military action more than two years after the last U.S. troops withdrew. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

An article saying Obama is “forcing US troops to submit to sharia law during Ramadan,” the Muslim holy month, is likely fake.

The article was published on LibertyNews.com. However, it doesn’t appear there’s any credibility to it.

Military publication Stars and Stripes a few days ago reported that some US troops will have to make “a few lifestyle changes” during Ramadan while stationed in some Middle Eastern countries.

“Businesses and government offices will reduce hours and most restaurants will be closed during daylight hours,” the report says. “While not required to fast during Ramadan, in Bahrain, Americans can be fined or detained by local authorities for eating, drinking or smoking in public when off-base during daylight hours.”

It adds: “Navy officials are requiring U.S. personnel to dress more conservatively off-base during Ramadan. Although not a requirement by Bahraini authorities, the Navy is demanding that men wear long-sleeved shirts and women wear sleeved blouses that cover their elbows. Also, men must wear long trousers, and women should wear pants or skirts that cover the knees.”

However, the claim that President Obama is ordering troops to observe Sharia law appears unfounded.

“What that article actually reported is that some U.S. military personnel in Bahrain have been briefed about the significance of Ramadan, Navy personnel there have been ordered to dress more conservatively while off-base during that month, and troops have been reminded that activities such as eating, drinking, and smoking in public in the daytime during the month of Ramadan is a violation of local law (and as with other local laws, they can be detained by authorities for breaking them),” reads a report from Snopes.com, a hoax-debunking site.

It appears that some of the reports, including the one from Liberty News, exaggerated the Stars and Stripes report.