What a surprise. “Britain must ban sharia ‘kangaroo courts’, say activists,” by Emma Batha, Reuters, June 15, 2015:
LONDON, June 15 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Britain’s new government must abolish Islamic sharia courts, campaigners said on Monday, describing them as “kangaroo courts” that deliver second-rate justice and trample over the rights of women and children.
They called for the government to stick to pre-election promises to hold an inquiry into sharia courts which first appeared in Britain in the mid-1980s.
“Over the years, we have witnessed with increasing alarm the influence of ‘Sharia courts’ over the lives of citizens of Muslim heritage,” nearly 200 women’s rights and secular campaigners said in a statement.
“Though the ‘Sharia courts’ have been touted as people’s right to religion, they are in fact, effective tools of the far-right Islamist movement whose main aim is to restrict and deny rights, particularly those of women and children.”
It has been reported that there are 85 such courts in Britain, but the number is unknown. The courts — called sharia councils — deal mostly with family matters, in particular divorce.
Campaigners say women in abusive relationships are being forced to return to their husbands while others end up in destitution following divorce under sharia law. Many women also lose custody of their children after divorce.
The courts give a woman’s testimony only half the weight of that of a man, campaigners say, and sons inherit twice the share of daughters.
Sharia councils contacted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation were not immediately available for comment. But the Islamic Sharia Council in east London says on its website that it takes a “harsh stance” on domestic violence, never forces a woman to stay with a husband she wants to divorce and always insists that couples refer custody issues to civil courts.
The campaigners’ statement called on the government to stop the development of parallel legal systems and to defend the principle of one law for all.
The 197 signatories include women’s rights groups and secular organisations along with prominent writers, academics, journalists and lawyers. Many of the signatories are from a Muslim background.
Britain’s Home Office said on Monday that a review into sharia courts would be included in a counter extremism strategy to be announced soon.
Some supporters of sharia councils have suggested problems with the system should be addressed through regulation, but opponents say the courts simply should not exist.
“Opposing ‘Sharia courts’ is not racism or ‘Islamophobic’; it is a defence of the rights of all citizens, irrespective of their beliefs and background to be governed by democratic means under the principle of one law for all,” the statement added….
Becca says
It is disgusting, “they take a a harsh stance on domestic violence, never forces a woman to stay with a husband she wants to divorce.” SINCE WHEN was it decided violence against women was no longer a criminal offence? Domestic violence is for the most part is a crime by men against women n these farcical courts should never have been allowed at all let alone to deal with violent crime. It is British government who have allowed this to be treated as a civil matter and without consulting the public. All women here should be outraged by this, its a step backward for womens rights/equality,
Lia Wissing says
Please Britain, step up to the mark & rule these courts illegal.
mortimer says
One law for all. That should be the slogan.
Sharia’s purpose is to remove the human rights and civil liberties of Muslim women and children.
Mohammed invented jihad as a method of removing the human rights and civil liberties of ALL WOMEN AND ‘OTHERS’.
Sharia law’s secondary purpose in UK is to habituate the people to gradually losing their freedoms. Sharia demands the loss of free speech, for instance.
Wake up, Britons.
ECAW says
“One Law For All” is the organisation of the Iranian communist Maryam Namazie. Here she is smearing Anne-Marie Waters, who left One Law For All to set up her own Sharia Watch (the usual denouncing of any one who has a different view as a bigot and any organisation to the right of herself as right wing and racist):
http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/anne-marie-waters-is-leaving-post-of-spokesperson/
This is Ane-Marie Waters on the betrayal of Muslim women by feminists:
http://www.annemariewaters.org/sharia-law-and-middle-class-feminism/
I know which of the two I prefer.
Richie says
Muslims will want to apply Sharia law to ALL people, not just Muslims
Don McKellar says
Now HOLD ON! Are these FEMINISTS who are suddenly objecting? As far as we know, FEMINISTS would cast down these racist Islamophobes for DARING to suggest that sharia law isn’t completely benign and 100% compatible with our modern laws! Of course it must be!
One wonders if the UK government is forced into banning sharia courts due to the public uproar, is David Cameron going to proclaim that these sharia courts have nothing to do with Islam? Hmmm?
Keith says
I was talking to a lady the other day and she claims that the koran has nothing to do with Islam. Talk about being dumb, I was totally dumbfounded.
Westman says
The purpose of these European Sharia courts is to amputate the civil rights of women and female children so they will remain the property of some man and feel themselves subdued.
The Islamic system continues to raise boys to be the eventual disrespecters of their mothers, cheaters of their sisters, and the beaters of women. The Sharia courts keep the abuse hidden from civil authority while claiming moral superiority for its existence.
katherine says
There are indeed other good reasons for their existence – employment for the feeble-minded. Go over to the Malaysian news website Mail Online and notice that there is a report on comments made by academics at a symposium which observed that Islamic bureaucracy has become the lucrative rice-bowl of religious administrators.
From what we have seen, the people who end up as Muslim-trained judges and scholars are USUALLY among the dimmest and most narrow-minded humans on earth . Without the support and enforcement of their employment in the government machinery, their ignorance and incompetence in every field would have doomed them to massive unemployment.
Westman says
Thanks, Katherine,
I haven’t been able to find that particular article but I did notice there is a serious conflict between Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists from a few articles I just read. Do you know the headline on that article?
katherine says
Sorry about that Westman : I tried to access the URL again but found that it has been removed. Yahoo Malaysia news postings are normally quite transient esp. those related to ‘sensitive’ subjects and notice too that commentary is not allowed for many reports. This one carried the title ‘Millions of ringgit stopping Islamic enforcers from giving up power, academic claims’ – malaymailonline.
You could also refer to Prof. James Piscatori of Durham U. He was one of the speakers at the event.
katherine says
My mistake, Westman – ‘Millions of ringgit stopping Islamic enforcers from giving up power, academic claims’ is accessible directly on Google.
citycat says
85? JEEZ.
The disintegration spreads.
I wonder what the solution to this disintegration might be.
Integration of female forces might help?
Amongst several hundred muslims i’ve chatted to, via work, at least 5 males, one an imam, let it out that Islam’s not for them. Women play the game, but when away from their men, i guess 20 to 30 expressed negativity of Islam. A few heavy hatred because of dealitorization, the others expressed varying degreess of contempt for Islam, but most if not all loved their husbands.
A tiny Random minority i know, but you don’t need a weatherman.
It’s time for the female force to manifest and bring down the misogynistic pigs.
Some hope.
Worth a go though.
Nature don’t up.
Gary says
Deny the rights of women. Force them to have multiple, multiple children. Then.. deny the rights of those children, brainwash them into believing a lie: That all Westerners are “INFIDELS” and that no man shall blaspheme “THE PROPHET”
And Behold: The Beasts Killing Machine.
You can check out. But you can never leave…..
“But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.”
Revelation 12:12
Wake up American. Our children’s future is at stake……
“And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. ”
Revelation 20:4
Matthieu Baudin says
About time that the Sharia Charade was exposed in this way.
Angemon says
And no one in the mid-80’s looked into islamic texts and realized beforehand that sharia courts would impose such laws? No one? Really?
*sigh*
Get one thing on your minds, Britons: sharia is NOT about religious freedom, it’s a judicial system that is at odds with your core values.
No Fear says
Kangaroos are offended by the use of their name in the same sentence as the term Sharia.
Baucent says
This is actually a significant development as previously sharia courts were untouchable. Only a year or two ago the British Law Society was supporting sharia based Wills.
Treaclebeak says
Baucent,
That was more PR than reality, wills are only ‘Sharia compliant’ to the extent that the law allows.
Independent Sharia ‘courts’ are of course a rather sinister development.
duh_swami says
Does the hubby have to go to the kangaroo court to divorce his wife?
Paul says
“Progressive” left-wing feminists were up in arms over an
inappropriate comment made by a Nobel Laureate regarding
women and science, and he was no doubt forced to retire from
his position from University College London, but you’ll never hear
so much as a whisper from them regarding this injustice because
in their stupid minds – as Pat Condell once pointed out – defending
women’s rights against Islamic misogyny = ‘racism’.
Some very good ones out there such as Anne-Marie Waters
(she’s obviously not “progressive”, thank goodness), but so
many are just pathetic cowardly and vile.
Scott says
READ THIS STATEMENT…… “But the Islamic Sharia Council in east London says on its website that it takes a “harsh stance” on domestic violence, never forces a woman to stay with a husband she wants to divorce and always insists that couples refer custody issues to civil courts.”
This is TAQQYIA at its finest.
It is always acceptable to lie to infidels in the defense of Islam. It’s written in the Quran.
Look at the logic behind what I state. If they are a Sharia representing organization, then by definition what they wrote above is not Sharia compliant. As such, they are lying to subvert the British public and are performing their Islamic duty by invoking Taqyyia – the acceptable practice of deceiving non Muslims in the defense if Islam.
Judi says
The three monkeys, see evil, hear evil and speak evil!
Celtic says
““Though the ‘Sharia courts’ have been touted as people’s right to religion, they are in fact, effective tools of the far-right Islamist movement whose main aim is to restrict and deny rights, particularly those of women and children.””
What a joke!
1. Theocratical law systems are now being considered as freedom of religion in secular societies? What the hell is wrong with you Britons?
2. Since when is the left-right paradigm applicable to religion?? There is no “left” Islam and there is no “right” Islam, Islam is a religion which happens to be very political – but come on, this statement is sad evidence of the degrading education in our western society.
3. How could the Brits ever tolerate Sharia courts? Astonishing….
Jae M says
There should be no courts other than the constituted laws already in place in the UK that protect everyone’s rights and provide unbiased judgement. The women that have had to abide by Sharia decisions should sue the UK government for not upholding their rights and freedoms under British law. How stupid are these people in the government there?