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Sharia law in the UK

For topics that are more about faith, religion and religious organisations than anything else.
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Alan H
Posts: 24067
Joined: July 3rd, 2007, 10:26 pm

Sharia law in the UK

#1 Post by Alan H » October 24th, 2015, 11:02 am

House of Lords debates bill to outlaw gender discrimination in UK sharia ‘courts’
The Bill would make it illegal for any arbitration tribunal to "do anything that constitutes discrimination, harassment or victimisation on grounds of sex" and several honorary associates of the NSS offered their support for the Bill.

It would specifically prohibit those providing arbitration services from "treating the evidence of a man as worth more than the evidence of a woman" and from "proceeding on the assumption that a woman has fewer property rights than a man".
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

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Dave B
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Re: Sharia law in the UK

#2 Post by Dave B » October 24th, 2015, 11:42 am

I heard this mentioned on the radio. Government lukewarm as usual.

(Edited to remove sentence that may have been a misremembered item.)
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
Me, 2015

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animist
Posts: 6522
Joined: July 30th, 2010, 11:36 pm

Re: Sharia law in the UK

#3 Post by animist » October 24th, 2015, 12:49 pm

I see that someone called Lord Sheikh (bit of a tautology?) opined that this bill was demonising Muslims. How tired a phrase, and - notwithstanding what I am sure are good things that he has done - his presence as a Tory peer in a legislative body is a good reason for totally chucking our present governmental system

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Altfish
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Re: Sharia law in the UK

#4 Post by Altfish » October 25th, 2015, 4:49 pm

Obviously these courts are a worry but the government needs to be careful that they don't drive them further underground.

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Alan H
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Re: Sharia law in the UK

#5 Post by Alan H » February 2nd, 2018, 12:23 am

NSS welcomes Home Office decision not to regulate sharia ‘courts’
The National Secular Society has welcomed the Home Office's rejection of proposals to regulate sharia 'courts', which were made in an official review published today.

The review, which was chaired by Islamic theologian Prof Mona Siddiqui, proposed the state creating a body which would "design a system of self-regulation of sharia councils, including a code of practice". The body would include sharia council panel members and family lawyers, and could be used to monitor and audit compliance with the code of practice.

The Home Office said it would "not be taking forward the review's recommendation to regulate sharia councils".

"Sharia law has no jurisdiction in the UK and we would not facilitate or endorse regulation, which could present councils as an alternative to UK laws.

"In Britain, we have a long tradition of freedom of worship and religious tolerance, where many people of different faiths follow religious codes and practices, and benefit from their guidance. The Government has no intention of changing this position."

Stephen Evans, the NSS's CEO, said regulation risked "being a halfway house towards sharia becoming de-facto law".

"The Home Office is quite right to reject this proposal out of hand. Regulation of so-called sharia courts will only lend them legitimacy whilst doing nothing to ensure compatibility with anti-discrimination and human rights law. It will take us further down the road towards a parallel legal system where the rights of British citizens from minority backgrounds are fundamentally undermined."

The review recommended legislative changes to give Islamic marriage the same legal standing as Christian or Jewish marriage. Under one of the most alarming changes proposed by the review, a court could refuse to finalise a civil divorce until an Islamic religious divorce had been obtained. The NSS opposes these suggestions, along with state recognition of religious marriages more broadly.

The review also called for awareness campaigns to inform women in minority communities of their rights. "Cultural change is required within Muslim communities so that communities acknowledge women's rights in civil law, especially in areas of marriage and divorce," it said.

Mr Evans said this was "a sensible approach and one we've long advocated for".

"The state must do all it can to reach out to girls and women from minority communities and inform them of their rights in UK law, and the legal protection that civilly registered marriages provides."

The Home Office said it would carefully consider the review's findings and recommendations, other than on regulation.

One of the four members of the review's panel rejected the recommendation to regulate sharia councils. The unnamed dissenter wrote: "The creation of a state facilitated or endorsed regulation or audit scheme will give legitimacy to the existence of alternative dispute resolution entities in the form of sharia councils. The primary and underlying principle of sharia councils is the application of sharia law. It is questionable whether there is any role for the state to act in this way and in effect give a quasi-legal status to the councils."

The review was commissioned by Theresa May in May 2016, when she was Home Secretary. She said it would look at how sharia was being "misused or exploited", rather than examining whether the teaching itself discriminates against women.

There is no official figure of the number of sharia councils in the UK. The review estimated there were "at least 35" sharia councils in the UK. Almost nine years ago a study by the think tank Civitas estimated that more than 85 sharia bodies were operating in Britain. Parliament has previously heard of a significant network of more informal sharia tribunals, often based in mosques, dealing with issues such as divorce and child custody matters.
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

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Alan H
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Joined: July 3rd, 2007, 10:26 pm

Re: Sharia law in the UK

#6 Post by Alan H » February 2nd, 2018, 12:24 am

Humanists UK expresses concern about proposed regulation of sharia courts
An independent review into the application of sharia law in England and Wales has recommended changes to offer greater protection for Muslim women in family law and divorce.

This includes the recommendation, now rejected by the Home Office, to create an official regulatory body for ‘sharia courts’. Humanists UK has welcomed this as such a move would risk giving legitimacy to quasi-legal institutions that do not have any UK law.

The report proposes to create a regulatory body, similar to Ofsted, to enforce best practice among sharia courts, particularly with respect to the treatment of women. Although this proposal may bring better transparency and accountability across sharia courts, it risks granting legitimacy to an alternative system of dispute resolution, one that is outside of and, in some cases, in conflict with UK domestic law.

Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson commented, ‘There is a need to ensure those using sharia courts for Muslim marriages or other services enjoy the same rights and protections as others, including guaranteeing the best protection for vulnerable partners. However, we should be very clear that UK law is supreme and that sharia courts have no legal standing. We will oppose any measure to cloudy or remove this distinction.’
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

VINDICATOR
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Joined: December 22nd, 2016, 11:07 am

Re: Sharia law in the UK

#7 Post by VINDICATOR » February 3rd, 2018, 12:30 pm

The UK has imported so many Muslims that they are starting to flex their muscles and want to establish "Sharia Courts". They say you are "racist" if you object. So you think you can assimilate them? One day they will assimilate you! Muslims cannot be assimilated. Once a Muslim always a Muslim! According to Shariah Law, anyone trying to betray Islam must be terminated!

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Alan H
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Re: Sharia law in the UK

#8 Post by Alan H » February 3rd, 2018, 12:50 pm

VINDICATOR wrote:The UK has imported so many Muslims that they are starting to flex their muscles and want to establish "Sharia Courts". They say you are "racist" if you object. So you think you can assimilate them? One day they will assimilate you! Muslims cannot be assimilated. Once a Muslim always a Muslim! According to Shariah Law, anyone trying to betray Islam must be terminated!
FFS.
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

Compassionist
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Re: Sharia law in the UK

#9 Post by Compassionist » February 9th, 2018, 8:02 pm

VINDICATOR wrote:The UK has imported so many Muslims that they are starting to flex their muscles and want to establish "Sharia Courts". They say you are "racist" if you object. So you think you can assimilate them? One day they will assimilate you! Muslims cannot be assimilated. Once a Muslim always a Muslim! According to Shariah Law, anyone trying to betray Islam must be terminated!
There are many ex-Muslims. I am an ex-Muslim ex-Christian Humanist. I know many nice Muslims and nice Christians and nice Humanists. It is not necessary to be secular to be nice, just as it is not necessary to be religious to be nice. I have no problems with anyone having any religion. I respect everyone's human rights. Do you?

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animist
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Re: Sharia law in the UK

#10 Post by animist » February 10th, 2018, 10:39 am

Compassionist wrote:
VINDICATOR wrote:The UK has imported so many Muslims that they are starting to flex their muscles and want to establish "Sharia Courts". They say you are "racist" if you object. So you think you can assimilate them? One day they will assimilate you! Muslims cannot be assimilated. Once a Muslim always a Muslim! According to Shariah Law, anyone trying to betray Islam must be terminated!
There are many ex-Muslims. I am an ex-Muslim ex-Christian Humanist. I know many nice Muslims and nice Christians and nice Humanists. It is not necessary to be secular to be nice, just as it is not necessary to be religious to be nice. I have no problems with anyone having any religion. I respect everyone's human rights. Do you?
+1

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animist
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Re: Sharia law in the UK

#11 Post by animist » February 15th, 2018, 10:58 am

animist wrote:
Compassionist wrote:
VINDICATOR wrote:The UK has imported so many Muslims that they are starting to flex their muscles and want to establish "Sharia Courts". They say you are "racist" if you object. So you think you can assimilate them? One day they will assimilate you! Muslims cannot be assimilated. Once a Muslim always a Muslim! According to Shariah Law, anyone trying to betray Islam must be terminated!
There are many ex-Muslims. I am an ex-Muslim ex-Christian Humanist. I know many nice Muslims and nice Christians and nice Humanists. It is not necessary to be secular to be nice, just as it is not necessary to be religious to be nice. I have no problems with anyone having any religion. I respect everyone's human rights. Do you?
+1
Vinnie, I think you fail to grasp the diversity of that branch of religious adherence that we call "Islam". Do you know any Muslims? Most of them are peaceful and law-abiding, and Sharia law has had pretty limited impact in the UK. I don't know but I would guess that the Fundie Xian lobby in the USA is more powerful than any Muslim lobby over here

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