U.K. Shariah courts 'uphold theory' of men controlling women
Investigator reports religious system operates in 'shadow of the law'
Published: 11 hours ago
Two male judges interrogating a woman alone in a room about her “sexual activities.”
Another judge “laughing” at a woman who complained her husband was physically abusing her.
A woman is sent away without an answer after reporting her husband took out a loan in her name on the day they married and is denying her a divorce until she gives him 10,000 British pounds.
These outlandish results have come to light as results of the parallel legal system set up by Muslims under their Shariah religious law in the United Kingdom.
Matchteld Zee of Leiden University in the Netherlands recently got access to the secretive religious courts and listened to some two days of hearings at the Islamic Shariah Council in east London and at Birmingham Central Mosque Shariah.
The Independent has reported that she was able to reveal some of the details she discovered during her review of the actions, but not all.
The full results are scheduled to be unveiled at Parliament next month.
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However, there were some conclusions she shared with the Independent following her related interviews with nine Islamic judges.
“There are, in fact, two separate legal orders functioning [in the U.K.], of which one currently operates in the ‘shadow of the law,’” she told the newspaper.
The study comes in light of a move by Baroness Cox to make it illegal for such religious councils to “act as legal courts.”
Cox has explained that Britain risks having a second – alternative – legal system, one that discriminates routinely against women, unless some action is taken.
“I think there is a real problem in the way that they are currently operating, in that it is a kind of parallel legal system,” Cox told the Independent. “There are aspects of Shariah law and the way the Shariah courts operate which are fundamentally incompatible with the laws, values, principles and policies of this country and which represent a threat to the fundamental principle of one law for all.”
In Parliament, the House of Lords passed the new Arbitration and Mediation Services Bill in October, and Cox says it has support from a wide range of interests.
The Home Office also has commissioned an independent review of Shariah courts, but the timeline on that remains uncertain.
The Christian Institute reported that the Home Office already said, “Muslim women who have attended Shariah courts have been forced to return to abusive husbands or have been left in penury.”
In several reports, the Independent said its access to Zee’s work revealed the religious parallel courts lock women into “marital captivity” and essentially ignore domestic violence.
Details of the study the newspaper saw who Shariah judges “uphold the theory and practice of the strong hold men have over women.”
They also “set out to frustrate women whose husbands do not want them to leave.”
The newspaper noted the Islamic Shariah Council in London “strongly disputes” the findings.
According to the Independent, the dozens of Shariah courts in the U.K. act on religious matters, such as weddings and divorces, but those results are not necessarily recognized as legal.
Under the Arbitration Act of 1996, such councils can hold some legal status for mediation, but results on issues such as divorces still have to be approved by a secular court.
Lawmakers in 2011 had tried to investigate Shariah councils, but abandoned their effort because the Muslims refused to cooperate.
Zee also reported that judges in Shariah councils generally act on behalf of one side, “Always in favor of the man.”
“In a toxic mix of religious fundamentalism, culture and tight-knit communities, Shariah councils uphold the theory and practice of the strong hold men have over women,” Zee wrote.
Reported the Independent, “She was shocked by some of the cases she witnessed in London, where she claims women faced discriminatory treatment. She says she saw women who were shackled by their husbands’ debts being asked for ‘large sums of money’ for their divorce requests, and heard tales of husbands who had disappeared, stalling proceedings.”
The paper also said Zee asserted those who have been advocating for recognition of such councils are ignorant and have a “romanticized view of communal values.”
Zee’s work also is scheduled to be released in January in “Choosing Shariah? Multiculturalism, Islamic Fundamentalism and British Shariah Councils.”
Read more at
http://www.wnd.com/2015/12/u-k-shariah-courts-uphold-theory-of-men-controlling-women/#tgm1vyTbpL9sE3Vo.99
