Abolish Sharia Courts in the UK

Below is the intervention read by Alain Wagner, representing the International Civil Liberties Alliance (ICLA) at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Session 7: “Tolerance and non-discrimination I, including equality of opportunity for women and men and the implementation of the OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality”, Warsaw, September 25, 2014.

On behalf of International Civil Liberties Alliance I would like to suggest that the United Kingdom consider the immediate implementation of one very practical step in order to ensure the effective protection of Women’s Rights for one of the most vulnerable part of its population: Muslim women.

The International Civil Liberties Alliance ask for an immediate banning of all Sharia courts in the United Kingdom which deal and give judgments about family matters and private conflicts.

Sharia courts apply sharia rules which are denying equality of right between men and women and generally disregard any kind of compliance or compatibility with Human Rights.

Tolerating the existence of Sharia courts and allowing them to arbitrate in private family conflicts constitute a gross violation of UK commitments in regard to gender equality and women’s protection.

In theory, any woman unhappy with a Sharia court decision has the right of appeal to a British court. But actually, we know that Muslim women are very often prisoners of family and community, bonds which deny them any real possibility to contest a Sharia court decision.

The international Civil Liberties Alliance fails to see how United Kingdom can allow Sharia courts to operate on its territory and at the same time pretend to uphold its OSCE commitments promoting Women’s Rights or Muslim women’s right to a fair trial as defined by the European Convention of Human Rights article 6:

I quote: “In the determination of his civil rights and obligations or of any criminal charge against him, everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law.” End of quote.

Sharia courts are by no way impartial toward women and will never be so because they apply Sharia regulations. It is impossible to see how such tribunals could ever have anything other than a negative impact on the promotion of Women’s Right in UK Muslim communities.

Recommendations

The International Civil Liberties Alliance ask the United Kingdom:

First: To immediately deny Sharia courts any competence in family matters and private conflicts.

Second: To adopt policies aiming to permanently ban Sharia courts from UK.

ICLA also ask from all participating states a renewed vigilance about any attempt to create Sharia courts or equivalent institutions whatever name they use. Please remember your commitments to protect Human Rights, Women’s Rights, Children’s Rights, and firmly reject any such future attempts.

For links to previous articles about the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, see the OSCE Archives.

6 thoughts on “Abolish Sharia Courts in the UK

  1. I find myself totally out of patience with all this Muslim crap. I say crap on purpose. I don’t disregard peacefule people practicing their (unAmerican) religion, but I do draw the line at them doing things that are plain wrong.

    Sorry, I had to say that. Look at what’s happening everywhere. I don’t know if Europe and England are smart enough to rue the day they invited the Muslims in, but I hope it’s not too late for America to rue the day and start doing something about it. Start deporting known enemies, for example.

    Stop letting them in — in the first place. They will be much happier in their homelands where everyone believes as they do. In this country we believe in freedom: of religion, of politics, of opinion — this is contrary to Islamic belief, so they have no place here.

    Who ever thought it was a good idea to let such backward people in? Did we think we could change them? If so, that was stupid — unfortunately America these days does stupid and it does it, unfortunately, very well.

    God help us.

    • Alas, it was not we who invited them, but our Dear Leaders. We were not consulted. Our objections were not heeded. We just pay for it.

      • Yep, the problem is international. The same policies are appearing everywhere in the West which means the mass importation of people that hate our civilization is deliberate and coordinated at an international level.

  2. Mulisms who force their sharia laws on others should be banned from all nations and screw the UN Human Rights wankos

    • The article is not clear about that so you may missed one important point: it’s about applying sharia laws between people who both agree on that.

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