WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A measure to ban the use of foreign laws in domestic courtrooms is progressing in Florida’s statehouse, one of dozens of similar efforts across the country that critics call an unwarranted campaign driven by fear of Muslims.

Forty such bills are being pursued in 24 states, according to a tally by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Supporters of the measures say they are a response to a glaring hole in legal protections for Americans. Opponents say the bills address a made-up threat and could threaten agreements made under Jewish or other religious law.

The Florida measure passed the House on Thursday, 92-24. It awaits a full vote in the Senate.

If passed, Florida would join three other states — Louisiana, Arizona and Tennessee — in approving legislation curtailing the use of foreign laws. An Oklahoma ballot measure got 70 percent approval, but it goes a step further in specifically mentioning Shariah, the Islamic system of law. A federal court has blocked the measure’s implementation until its constitutionality is determined.

The Florida legislation makes no mention of Shariah law. It outlaws the use of foreign law only when it violates rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and only in certain domestic situations, such as divorces and child custody cases. It does not apply to businesses and says it shouldn’t be construed to prohibit any religious organization from making judgments in “ecclesiastical matters.”

But that’s done little to quiet critics who see such legislation as right-wing fear mongering.

“It’s a waste of time and irrelevant legislation,” said Nezar Hamze, head of the Miami chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “But the motive behind it is very troubling.”

The most fervently outspoken supporters of such bills caution Shariah law could begin to spread outside of Muslim countries in a slow-speed Islamic takeover of the world.

Hamze said he’s not aware of the issue ever coming up in a Florida courtroom.