www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4749183.ece
CLASSIFIEDS From The Sunday Times September 14, 2008 Revealed: UK's first official sharia courts Abul Taher ISLAMIC law has been officially adopted in Britain, with sharia courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases. The government has quietly sanctioned the powers for sharia judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those involving domestic violence. Rulings issued by a network of five sharia courts are enforceable with the full power of the judicial system, through the county courts or High Court. Previously, the rulings of sharia courts in Britain could not be enforced, and depended on voluntary compliance among Muslims. It has now emerged that sharia courts with these powers have been set up in London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester with the network's headquarters in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Two more courts are being planned for Glasgow and Edinburgh. Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi, whose Muslim Arbitration Tribunal runs the courts, said he had taken advantage of a clause in the Arbitration Act 1996. Under the act, the sharia courts are classified as arbitration tribunals. The rulings of arbitration tribunals are binding in law, provided that both parties in the dispute agree to give it the power to rule on their case. Siddiqi said: "We realised that under the Arbitration Act we can make rulings which can be enforced by county and high courts. The act allows disputes to be resolved using alternatives like tribunals. This method is called alternative dispute resolution, which for Muslims is what the sharia courts are." The disclosure that Muslim courts have legal powers in Britain comes seven months after Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was pilloried for suggesting that the establishment of sharia in the future "seems unavoidable" in Britain. In July, the head of the judiciary, the lord chief justice, Lord Phillips, further stoked controversy when he said that sharia could be used to settle marital and financial disputes. In fact, Muslim tribunal courts started passing sharia judgments in August 2007. They have dealt with more than 100 cases that range from Muslim divorce and inheritance to nuisance neighbours. It has also emerged that tribunal courts have settled six cases of domestic violence between married couples, working in tandem with the police investigations. Siddiqi said he expected the courts to handle a greater number of "smaller" criminal cases in coming years as more Muslim clients approach them. "All we are doing is regulating community affairs in these cases," said Siddiqi, chairman of the governing council of the tribunal. Jewish Beth Din courts operate under the same provision in the Arbitration Act and resolve civil cases, ranging from divorce to business disputes. They have existed in Britain for more than 100 years, and previously operated under a precursor to the act. Politicians and church leaders expressed concerns that this could mark the beginnings of a "parallel legal system" based on sharia for some British Muslims. Dominic Grieve, the shadow home secretary, said: "If it is true that these tribunals are passing binding decisions in the areas of family and criminal law, I would like to know which courts are enforcing them because I would consider such action unlawful. Douglas Murray, the director of the Centre for Social Cohesion, said: "I think it's appalling. I don't think arbitration that is done by sharia should ever be endorsed or enforced by the British state." There are concerns that women who agree to go to tribunal courts are getting worse deals because Islamic law favours men. Siddiqi said that in a recent inheritance dispute handled by the court in Nuneaton, the estate of a Midlands man was divided between three daughters and two sons. The judges on the panel gave the sons twice as much as the daughters, in accordance with sharia. Had the family gone to a normal British court, the daughters would have got equal amounts. In the six cases of domestic violence, Siddiqi said the judges ordered the husbands to take anger management classes and mentoring from community elders. In each case, the women subsequently withdrew the complaints they had lodged with the police and the police stopped their investigations. Siddiqi said that in the domestic violence cases, the advantage was that marriages were saved and couples given a second chance. Inayat Bunglawala, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "The MCB supports these tribunals. If the Jewish courts are allowed to flourish, so must the sharia ones."
Have your say What a disgrace, the UK shouldn't have even considered doing this! John, UK, UK Folks, try reading before commenting, this is an OPTION for CIVIL disputes; it has nothing to do with the POLICE or CRIMINAL law, this is also nothing new and has been an OPTION for a good number of years. Martin, Poole, UK Dear Britain, It's been nice knowing you. Your friend, America Luther, Los Angeles, Insanity and treason. If the tories don't come out fighting against this I'm switching my vote to BNP. Enough is enough Peter Lodge, Wakefield, UK If you're sick of the British political/judicial classes giving away the store, come over to the USA and help us fight back the creeping socialism here. Britain, which my father emigrated from in 1950, and where I lived for a time as a child, sadly seems lost. Anthony, Orlando, Florida, US I have a feeling that not many have read the actual article. These "courts" work on a " a clause in the Arbitration Act 1996." In fact, "Jewish Beth Din courts operate under the same provision" and have "existed in Britain for more than 100 years". Suhail, Ilford, Essex Our Government need to stand against these fundamentalists. They are leaving the British people no choice but to vote BNP. I'm leaving this country after the next election, but will vote BNP before i leave. Martin, London, England There is an earlier law that states that, to be legal, a law passed in this country must apply everywhere and to everyone. By definition therefore, this is an illegal law and cannot be upheld. David, Manchester, UK This is utterly and totally ridiculous. Gone with the wind due to pathetic immigration policies. We're as brave as you bloody lot are any day of the week. which we will eventually deal with ourselves, without any interference from you. EO Eileen O Conor, Cordoba, Spain Wow, you mean domestic and business disputes involving muslim parties can be sorted out by an arbitration committee designed to specifically cater to them, as long as both parties agree to do so? Sam, Portsmouth, UK Simply amazing to see the British surrender their own country. Luxomni, Atlanta, USA Jinx in Tilburg, The Netherlands: "In my country muslims are losing ground, not gaining." You Brits are destroying everything that Europeans used to stay for.. The once powerful and majestic crown jewel of western civilization which was England has committed suicide and lives now only in the pages of history. Repressing, oppressing and ignorance does not make a country brave. Britain is the best example we have of a country aknowledging amongst other things, the reality of the changing society existing in a system, a legal one at that. That is why it walks ahead rather than behind other nations. I'm Dutch and in my country muslims are losing ground, not gaining. Even left wing parties are chancing their views on immigration and integration. Jinx, Tilburg, The Netherlands I can not understand that... if muslins are a problem to britain, why do you keep supporting them ? When do we get the first beheadings of Christians daring to hold a service in Bradford or any of those other Islamic areas Its time the politicians started looking at what is happening in this country, sorry they are too busy wallowing at their expenses trough in Westminster. John Dykes, Pontypool, Wales UK Hmmm, how long until non-muslims end up in these "Courts" and stand little to no chance of finding justice. Craig, London, All going well I see Muslims are winning and will take the wealth once USA falls! What is this country coming to, muslims have more say in this coun...
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