.... That women who come to this country with little or no English and are then discriminated against by their own husbands or relatives has nothing to do with sharia, but rather with traditions and culture. This should not be used as a stick with which to beat sharia councils.
.... The blanket claim that women's witness is worth half that of men totally misses the complexities of Islamic law. In some limited areas of Islamic law, two female witnesses are required where one male witness will suffice. However, there are other areas where one female witness is sufficient. This issue would not affect most of the issues and cases dealt with by the sharia courts.
These courts are totally based on voluntary participation and every man and woman has recourse to ordinary British law. Thus ask the question: does this bill do more harm than good? The answer surely must be yes.
[A COMMENT] Sometimes it befuddles me why the guardian allows itself to be a soapbox for disingenuous bigots. [Guardian Cif] Read more
