PRESS RELEASE: One Law for All - Campaigners in the UK Urge Government to Fully and Impartially Investigate Sharia bodies
PRESS RELEASE: One Law for All
Campaigners in the UK Urge Government to Fully and Impartially Investigate Sharia bodies
4 July 2016
Today, an
unprecedented number of women's rights campaigners and organisations from
Britain and internationally have submitted a letter to the Home Secretary raising serious concerns
about the government's 'independent review' into Sharia courts in
Britain. The letter states that the limited scope of inquiry and its
inappropriate theological approach will do nothing to address the
discriminatory effect and intent of the courts on private and family matters:
areas where, arguably, the greatest human rights violations of minority women
in the UK take place.
Rather than taking a
human rights approach, the government has constituted a panel and terms of
reference more suited to a discussion in theology than one which serves the
needs of victims whose human rights are violated. By making these
religious appointments, the government has lost a vital opportunity to examine
the discriminatory nature of not only Sharia bodies but all forms of
religious arbitration fora including the Batei Din.
The panel chair, Mona
Siddiqui, for example, is herself a theologian. One of the scholars, Sayed
Ali Abbas Razawi, is the joint secretary for Majlis Ulama-e-Shia, which
sends delegations to the Islamic Republic of Iran. In his sermons, he has
supported the death penalty in Islamic states, advised Muslims to go into
government “and change the system” and says women dressed in "tight
clothing" are "corrupted". Another scholar, Qari
Muhammad Asim, speaks of "men retain[ing] their wives in
marriage" and sees women in relation to their male guardian: "Each
women is someone’s mother, daughter, sister or wife". He also trivialises
violence against women by saying "women as well as men can be victims of
domestic abuse".
Both scholars advising
the panel are on Imams Online. Khola Hasan, a judge at the Islamic Sharia Council, is a
contributing editor to Imam Online. Clearly, Imams and Islamic scholars cannot
investigate themselves.
"Women and Sharia Law: The Impact of Legal Pluralism in
the UK" by Elham Manea published in May 2016 documents the
harmful and even life threatening consequences for vulnerable minority women in
matters pertaining to the family. Testimonials gathered
by campaigners highlight some of the emotional, mental and physical effects of
the courts on women and children.
The women’s rights
campaigners are calling on the Home Secretary to establish a thorough and
impartial judge-led human rights investigation, which will fully examine
arbitration in family matters and whether violations of human rights are
condoned or even promoted by Sharia bodies. Some examples are: women's
testimony being worth half that of a man's, marital rape, sexual violence and
domestic abuse, the age of consent, guardianship, forced marriage, honour based
violence, ritual abuse, child custody and child protection, polygamy, divorce,
sexuality, inheritance, inter-religious relationships, female dress codes and
abortion.
Broader issues such as the treatment of religious minorities
including minority sects in Islam and decisions pertaining to apostasy and
blasphemy must also be examined to understand the full range of threats faced
by people affected by religious laws, and indeed, by the State promoting these
laws.
The law and not
religion is the key basis for securing justice for all citizens.
Campaigners urge the government to do the right thing and ensure that the
same principles of human rights, equality before the law, duty of care, due
diligence and the rule of law are applicable to all British citizens.
NOTES:
1. On Sharia Council
and Muslim Arbitration Tribunals:
2. Video footage of a
30 April conference on Sharia Law, Legal Pluralism and Access to Justice with
author Elham Manea and other women's rights campaigners.
4. For more
information, please contact:
Pragna Patel; Southall Black Sisters
pragna@southallblacksisters.co.uk
020 8571 9595
@SBSisters
pragna@southallblacksisters.co.uk
020 8571 9595
@SBSisters
Gita Sahgal; Centre for Secular Space
gita@centreforsecularspace.org
079 7271 5090
@GitaSahgal
gita@centreforsecularspace.org
079 7271 5090
@GitaSahgal
Gina Khan and Maryam
Namazie
One Law for All
onelawforall@gmail.com
077 1916 6731
@GinaKhanUK
@MaryamNamazie
One Law for All
onelawforall@gmail.com
077 1916 6731
@GinaKhanUK
@MaryamNamazie