Sharia courts in Britain: 85 and growing

They are growing like a kudzu vine in England, and have been since way back in 1982.  That;s right, sharia law in the UK for 30 years.  How many women have been denigrated and oppressed through sharia law these past three decades?  Thousands, obviously, possibly into the tens of thousands.  It is reported that today, sharia courts are seeing 200-300 cases a month, up ten-fold from the past few years.

This also speaks volumes about the non-assimilation of Muslim societies over those same decades, and how the inculcation is complete: the kuffir and their laws are evil, only trust other Muslims.  The preponderance of sharia courts and their large numbers of cases is another tumor on the body Britain, certain to go septic once the Muslim population reaches 10% of the total.  With birthrates favoring Muslims, that 10% number could be reached within the next 25 years.


From the BBC January 16 by Divya Talwar

Growing use of Sharia by UK Muslims

The use of Sharia, or Islamic religious law, is growing in Britain, with thousands of Muslims using it to settle disputes each year, but women's groups and some others are objecting.

''You must speak the truth, sister. Because Allah is listening to your every word, you can lie to us but not to Him.''

The bearded sheikh is instructing his first client of the day to explain why she is unhappy in her marriage.

Sitting behind a small desk in the back room of a converted terrace house, Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad is a representative of the Islamic Sharia Council, the largest Sharia body in the UK, based in Leyton, east London.

The woman has come to the council for an Islamic divorce because her husband refuses to grant her one.

''I'm not happy. He's never at home and I've seen messages from other women on his phone. He doesn't even give money to help support the kids,'' the woman tells the sheikh.

It is easier for a Muslim man to end a marriage in Islam, but a wife must persuade the judges to grant her a dissolution if her husband is opposed to divorce.

The case is typical of those case dealt with by Sharia councils, as thousands of Muslims are turning to them to help resolve family, financial and commercial problems in accordance with Sharia principles.

Growing demand

An estimated 85 Sharia councils could be operating in Britain, according to a 2009 report by the think tank Civitas.

Several bodies like the Islamic Sharia Council have seen a large increase in their cases in the past five years.

''Our cases have easily more than tripled over the past three to five years," says Sheikh al-Haddad.

''On average, every month we can deal with anything from 200 to 300 cases. A few years ago it was just a small fraction of that.

''Muslims are becoming more aligned with their faith and more aware of what we are offering them,'' he explained.

The principles of Sharia govern all aspects of a Muslim's life. It is derived from a combination of sources including the Koran, the Hadith, which is based on the example of the prophet Muhammad, and fatwas, which are rulings of Islamic scholars.

That is precisely why there cannot be just a little sharia.  Not only does it control every aspect of life and society, but there will always be someone who wants just a little bit more.

Sharia has been operating in the UK, managed by locally-appointed councils, in parallel to the British legal system since 1982.

But the informal councils have no legal powers and they cannot impose any penalties.

They deal with civil cases alone, but many Muslims are choosing to voluntarily accept rulings made by the scholars.

In some cases, in direct contradiction to British Common Law.

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