The Fountain Hills Town Council declined to advance Councilman Allen Skillicorn’s proposed ban on Sharia law Tuesday night, following a meeting during which Muslim community members questioned the need for the ordinance and pleaded for greater understanding of their faith.

The October 20 meeting ended without any direction to town attorneys to draft legislation. The council listed the proposal for discussion only, and took no formal vote to reject it.

Skillicorn first proposed a “Florida-style” ban at the September 15 council meeting, receiving initial support from Councilmembers Hannah Larrabee and Rick Watts. He subsequently told the Arizona Globe that the measure would help protect constitutional rights by preventing religious law from superseding American law.

But the proposal drew opposition from Muslim residents and civil rights advocates who questioned what problem Skillicorn intended the ordinance to address.

According to the Arizona Republic’s account of Tuesday’s hearing, council members voted 4-3 to allow Martín Quezada, civil rights director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, ten minutes to address the proposal.

Quezada explained that Sharia encompasses ordinary Muslim religious practices, including prayer, fasting during Ramadan and charitable giving. He compared these observances to Catholic canon law and Jewish halakha.

Scottsdale resident Thanh-Tan Jakwani, a Muslim who appeared visibly upset during her remarks, said she was “very confused and disturbed by the proposed ordinance.”

Another speaker, Rozina Khan, compared the idea to “building a flood wall in the desert,” arguing that the town was proposing a solution to a nonexistent problem.

Both women invited council members to visit a mosque and become better acquainted with the Muslim community.

Watts, who had originally supported Skillicorn’s request, suggested that the town instead consider a resolution affirming the rule of law while welcoming residents of every religion.

“We want you here,” Watts told the Muslim speakers.

The council neither adopted the resolution nor seemed inclined to move forward with Skillicorn’s ordinance.

The outcome echoed concerns raised when Skillicorn first introduced his proposal in September. According to the official council minutes, Councilmember Peggy McMahon questioned whether the town should spend legal fees drafting an ordinance before anyone had explained precisely what it meant to accomplish.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” McMahon said.