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16/09/2008
Sharia courts given power to rule on Muslim civil cases |
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Islamic law has been "officially adopted" in Britain with the government's sanctioning of powers for sharia judges to rule on Muslim civil cases.
Sharia courts will be able to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those that involve domestic violence.
A clause in the Abitration Act 1996 that allows for alternative dispute resolution has enabled the change.
Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi, whose Muslim Arbitration Tribunal runs the courts, explained: "We realised that under the Arbitration Act we can make rulings which can be enforced by county and high courts."
He continued: "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."
Mr Siddiqi said that he expected the courts would handle a "greater number of 'smaller' criminal cases in coming year as more Muslim clients approach them", the Times reported.
The paper said that there has been concern amongst politicians that the announcement could mark the "beginnings of a 'parallel legal system' based on sharia for some British Muslims". |
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