There is more than one American and they don't all think the same way.

So, I believe this is in part because of lax enforcement and the seeming ineffectiveness of the state with regard to property crime.

The endgoal is low crime, that's what most people want. If the more humane methods fail, people are going to happily go along with more brutal methods. If the state is sufficiently derelict of it's duty, then you'll see vigilantism.

> if the Muslim way is more representative of what Americans would like to live,

Its not, generally, and for the faction for which it is in many respects, it is not specifically in being Muslim, because that faction is zealous Christian theocrats.

Many people in the US who admire the conservative aspects of Muslim religious law (as commonly perceived) also fear forced religious conversion or subjugation and believe that Muslims would like to apply their religious law in the US.

I vouched for trasz’ comment but can’t reply to it. Yes, I would say that abortion is an example of what I was referring to. While there is a social-utilitarian aspect to opposition to abortion, the primary motivation is religiously-derived morality. Islam actually has something similar in its belief in the existence of a soul at a certain point in gestation.

The downvotes on my comment are funny because I have no idea if the right or left is upset with it! It’s an uncomfortable topic either way, certainly.