Southall Black Sisters, a women’s rights group, wrote: “Sharia councils and the Mat hold themselves out to be ‘courts of law’ but they are in fact highly arbitrary decision making forums that use dominant, patriarchal and authoritarian interpretations of Muslim codes which are passed off as ‘sharia’ laws.”
Is there an interpretation of Sharia that is not patriarchal and authoritarian? Really? Everywhere Sharia has ever been implemented, anywhere in the world at any time in the history of Islam, it has been patriarchal and authoritarian. Southall Black Sisters may have in mind some slick Western professor’s version of Sharia, but such versions are fantasy.
There is no surprise in a British Sharia court protecting wife beaters: “Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen parts because Allah has guarded them. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them.” — Qur’an 4:34
“British sharia court ‘protects wife-beating suspects by sabotaging criminal proceedings against them’ women’s rights group claims,” by Shari Miller, Mailonline, October 30, 2016 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
A top sharia court has been accused of using its position to ‘sabotage’ criminal charges brought against men accused of domestic violence.
The Muslim Arbitration Tribunal (Mat), based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, was set up in 2007 to help resolve civil and family disputes in accordance with Islamic law.
According to the Mat website, the body cannot deal with criminal offences, but ‘where there are criminal charges such as assault within the context of domestic violence, the parties can ask Mat to assist in reaching reconciliation.
‘The terms of such a reconciliation can then be passed on to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) through the local Police Domestic Violence Liaison Officers with a view to reconsidering the criminal charges.’
But Southall Black Sisters, a women’s rights group, argues that Mat is effectively ‘sabotaging criminal proceedings’ against men accused of domestic violence by asking the CPS to ‘reconsider’ any charges….
In a statement, the group wrote: ‘The Mat, for example, actively involves itself in criminal proceedings on domestic violence, despite stating that it is unable to deal with criminal offences.
‘It uses its position of power to persuade the CPS to drop charges and to encourage women to reconcile with abusive partners without reference to court orders they may already have or to risk assessments and safety planning.’
It added: ‘Sharia councils and the Mat hold themselves out to be ‘courts of law’ but they are in fact highly arbitrary decision making forums that use dominant, patriarchal and authoritarian interpretations of Muslim codes which are passed off as ‘sharia’ laws.’…