There are 85 Sharia courts—that we know of—operating across Britain, ‘normalising’ polygamy (for men), giving daughters half as much inheritance as sons and allowing men to end their marriages by saying “divorce” three times.
A report in The Times on Thursday, December 19th says that Muslims from Europe and North America are “increasingly turning” to these Islamic institutions in Britain—now described as the “Western capital” for sharia courts.
National Secular Society chief executive Stephen Evans told the newspaper of his group’s concern about “parallel legal systems in the UK undermining the principle of one law for all—and the negative impact this has on the rights of women and children.”
It is estimated that around 100,000 ‘Islamic marriages’ have been conducted in Britain, many of which are not officially registered. A good proportion are also likely to be cousin marriages, which independent MP Iqbal Mohamed earlier this month urged against banning or, indeed, “stigmatising.”
The Times also pointed to various efforts to ‘regulate’ Sharia courts.
Peter Whittle, founder and director of the New Culture Forum, said this was the wrong approach—that “they need banning,” instead.
Anything else is acceptance of a parallel system. Especially when polls show 32% of Muslims would prefer sharia in the UK.
Reform MP Rupert Lowe added that “there should be ZERO Sharia courts in the UK. If you want to live in our country, you live by our laws. If not, leave.” Party deputy leader Richard Tice said it is their policy to ban the courts.
It is unclear why the issue of Sharia courts, which operate as informal bodies handing down Islamic guidance on a variety of family matters, has suddenly emerged in the national press. One-time UKIP leader Henry Bolton said he was pleased by this development, but noted that “they treated the subject as toxic when some of us were expressing concerns in 2016-17.”
