June 21, 2010
Oklahoma’s amendment banning sharia law comes not a moment too soon
Building a firewall against sharia
Dear Harold,
The oil spill in the Gulf is a painful reminder that you don’t wait until disaster happens before creating a credible plan
of action to prevent it.
Those, like ABC News, who would belittle Oklahoma for passing an amendment banning sharia law clearly aren’t
paying attention to sharia’s equivalent of an “oil spill” in Britain.
A new report (see story below) released by One Law for All on the status of sharia law in Britain documents just how
bad the situation there has become.
Had Britain taken pre-emptive action as Oklahoma has, the cancer that is sharia law would not be eating away at
Britain’s legal framework. A firewall would have been in place to prevent this from happening. Ironically, in the
name of tolerance for Muslims, Britain now allows sharia discrimination against Muslim women and children.
Our “Media Month” campaign to raise the funds to produce our own TV news and talk program continues to push
toward achievement of our goal.
By informing potentially millions of Americans of the seriousness and imminence of the threat arrayed against us by
radical Islam and global jihad, we will help position America to build firewalls before that threat becomes a cancer
that can’t be stopped.
You can help us reach our goal and get our TV news and talk show on the air. Simply click here to make a monthly
Patriot Partner pledge or a one-time Contributing Member gift. Or if you prefer to make a gift with a check, you can
click here to print out a reply form.
New Report –
By Editor
June 17th, 2010
www.onelawforall.org.uk
- Sharia law’s civil code is arbitrary and discriminatory against women and children in particular. With the rise in the acceptance of Sharia courts, discrimination is being further institutionalised with some UK law firms additionally offering clients advice on Sharia law and the use of collaborative law.- Sharia law is practiced in Britain primarily by Sharia Councils and Muslims Arbitration Tribunals. Both operate on religious principles and are harmful to women although Muslim Arbitration Tribunals are wrongly regarded as being of more concern because they operate as tribunals under the Arbitration Act 1996, making their rulings binding in law.- Sharia Councils, on the other hand, claim to mediate on family issues but in practice often this differs little from arbitration: they frequently ask those appearing before them to sign an agreement to abide by their decisions; they call themselves courts, and the presiding imams, judges. Their decisions are then imposed and regarded as having the weight of legal judgements.- There is neither control over the appointment of “judges” in Sharia Councils or Tribunals nor an independent mechanism for monitoring them. Clients often do not have access to legal advice and representation. The proceedings are not recorded, nor are there any searchable legal judgements, nor any real right of appeal.- Sharia law cannot be compared to secular legal systems because it is considered sacred law that cannot be challenged. There is no scope to look at the interests of the individuals involved, as required by UK family law.- These legal processes ignore both common law and due process, far less Human Rights, and provide little protection and safety for women in violent situations.- There is a general assumption that those who attend Sharia courts do so voluntarily and that unfair decisions can be challenged in a British court. Many of the principles of Sharia law are contrary to British law and public policy, and would in theory therefore be unlikely to be upheld in a British court. In reality, however, women are often pressured by their families into going to these courts and adhering to unfair decisions, and may lack knowledge of English and their rights under British law. Moreover, refusal to settle a dispute in a Sharia court can give rise to threats and intimidation, or at best being ostracised.
- initiating a Human Rights challenge to Muslim Arbitration Tribunals and/or Sharia Councils
- amending the Arbitration Act under which the Muslim Arbitration Tribunals operate in a similar way to which the Canadian equivalent of the Arbitration Act was amended in 2005 to exclude religious arbitration
- launching a major and nationwide helpline and information campaign to inform people of their rights under British law
- proposing legislation under the EU Citizens Rights Initiative to address the issue EU-wide, and
- strengthening secularism and the separation of religion from the state, the judicial system and education, in order to more fully protect citizenship rights.
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