Vote to curb sharia courts
EXCLUSIVE
A BID to ban Muslims from replacing British law with sharia courts will be debated by MPs today.
The private member’s Bill would stop religious organisations from pretending to be able to act as a court when they have no legal standing.
The Arbitration and Mediation Services ( Equality) Bill, which has already been passed in the Lords, will also force them to stop discriminating against women.
About 85 sharia courts are thought to exist in Britain. The Bill comes amid growing concern over the way they are being used by many in the Muslim community as an alternative legal system in Britain and how they are systematically discriminating against women in civil cases such as divorce.
Sharia is the legal system derived from the religious precepts of Islam. While it is practised by many, it has no standing within English law.
Existing legislation permits arbitration to operate according to sharia as second- class citizens, no better than the chattels of their husbands.
“While the Bill respects the fundamental principle of freedom of religion and belief, we cannot allow rulings which are incompatible with the laws, values, principles and policies of our country.”
The sharia problem has led Prime Minister David Cameron to insist that immigrant women learn English so that they are no longer isolated in their communities and prevented from knowing their legal rights.
The Bill seeks to correct injustices in sharia courts by strengthening the duties of public bodies to ensure that women are made aware of their legal rights. It would grant powers to the police and judiciary to protect women from coercion and intimidation.
The Bill would also make it a criminal offence to pretend to act as a court and is being strongly backed by a campaign group representing Muslim women. A spokeswoman for the Muslim Women’s Advisory Council said: “We support Baroness Cox’s efforts to bring such decisionmaking within a regulatory framework and end the discrimination and injustice that some women endure.
“Whilst we support tribunals guided by Islamic Law, we do not support the cultural practices which still infl uence in some quarters and undermine decision- making.”
The Bill has been backed by evidence of appalling judgments made by sharia courts.
One woman, Sara, applied to a sharia council for an Islamic divorce after a forced marriage. Despite gaining a civil divorce through the British courts, she was pressurised by the council to return to her “husband”.
She said: “The ‘ judges’ did not listen to a word I said. They did not look at me when they were talking to me. I felt like a second- class citizen.”