Sharia courts operating in Britain

This is worrying, the tip of the iceberg maybe.

Sharia courts have been operating in Britain to rule on disputes between Muslims for more than a year, it has emerged.

Five sharia courts have been set up in London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester and Nuneaton, Warwickshire. The government has quietly sanctioned that their rulings are enforceable with the full power of the judicial system, through the county courts or High Court. Previously, the rulings were not binding and depended on voluntary compliance among Muslims.

Lawyers have issued grave warnings about the dangers of a dual legal system and the disclosure drew criticism from Opposition leaders.

News Link

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4749183.ece

lol

as if there is an official "sharia law"

this can only be negative, and I wouldn't be surprised to find the hand of the Saudis involved

They had a bit of a debate over here whether to introduce them or not, government said GTFO.

same with Canada, iirc

What the U.K. gets for appeasing their Muslim population.

I am curious, which system gets the final say if the outcome of a ruling is in conflict between the UK judicial system and the Sharia judicial system?

So Pat Condell was right, this is what you guys get for kissing the asses of those nutjobs under the banner of being "culturally sensitive".

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.

Given this fact, I don't really see it as much of a problem. If these silly people want to be held accountable for their actions under stupid religious law, then so be it - I'll stick to normal UK law.

yep...have to agree this is what happens when a goverment fails to act when cultural attributes of an inwardly migrating population fails to integrate with the laws of the country they're are coming to.

it's an absolute disgrace...

Originally posted by chillmeistergen
Given this fact, I don't really see it as much of a problem. If these silly people want to be held accountable for their actions under stupid religious law, then so be it - I'll stick to normal UK law.

I think it's quite alright as a private court system though...as long as everyone is still protected by the actual laws.

Yeah, this is just a use of agreed legal arbitration. It's no big deal, there is no official recognition being given to any other legal system or mode of belief here, nor is any such belief being given any form of extra power.

So this is nothing to do with appeasement or anything like it. It woud however, be the most staggering discrimination if it was outlawed. As that article noted, many communities have been using their beliefs for such arbiotration for a long time.

Nothing has changed.

Originally posted by Robtard
What the U.K. gets for appeasing their Muslim population.

I am curious, which system gets the final say if the outcome of a ruling is in conflict between the UK judicial system and the Sharia judicial system?

There is no Sharia judicial system being used, merely an agreed set of beliefs used in certain cases of arbitration.

So UK law is utterly supreme.

Originally posted by chillmeistergen
Given this fact, I don't really see it as much of a problem. If these silly people want to be held accountable for their actions under stupid religious law, then so be it - I'll stick to normal UK law.

Why should two extremely different styles of law be able to coexist in the same country? You know they want Sharia to apply to you too, right?

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
Why should two extremely different styles of law be able to coexist in the same country? You know they want Sharia to apply to you too, right?

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
Why should two extremely different styles of law be able to coexist in the same country? You know they want Sharia to apply to you too, right?

Please acquaint yourself with the facts of this matter properly before making such comment. What you suggest there is not happening in any way and hence is irrelevant to what he said.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Please acquaint yourself with the facts of this matter properly before making such comment. What you suggest there is not happening in any way and hence is irrelevant to what he said.

Proponents of Sharia want it to be the only law on the planet.

That as maybe but that has bugger all to do with this thread. It's not the law in the UK nor has anything altered to make it more so than before.

There tends to be this hysterical knee jerk reaction by most people, I find it quite odd - it's quite clear that these people are volunteering to be judged under this system, so who cares?

Complaining about wasted tax money is all well and good, but they are inhabitants of this country, too; I think we're stepping into dangerous territory when we allow certain religious practices, organisations etc tax money, then restrict others.

Originally posted by chillmeistergen
There tends to be this hysterical knee jerk reaction by most people, I find it quite odd - it's quite clear that these people are volunteering to be judged under this system, so who cares?

Complaining about wasted tax money is all well and good, but they are inhabitants of this country, too; I think we're stepping into dangerous territory when we allow certain religious practices, organisations etc tax money, then restrict others.

Yeah, I don't really think any religious practices should be awarded any money.

It doesn't seem like this costs the taxpayer more than another approach, so how they negotiate their desputes shouldn't really be anyone's concern, as long as it is within the countries laws.

Originally posted by Bardock42
Yeah, I don't really think any religious practices should be awarded any money.

Yeah, I agree. However, while they are, such a thing should be absolute.

so nobody is concerned with the extra-judicial patriarchy in Muslim communities?

we all agree that letting immigrant groups become more insular is going to encourage an end to, say, forced marriage, honor killings and female circumcision?