24 October 2016

Inquiry into Sharia will fail, MPs told

The government inquiry into Sharia is deeply flawed and failing to address fundamental defects in the theology, a former senior bishop has said.

The Right Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester, said that the Home Office review was scratching the surface by only examining the way that Sharia was applied.

“It asks whether the application of Sharia is incompatible with English law when it should be asking whether Sharia is itself incompatible with English law,” he said. “If Sharia is recognised in any way in terms of the public law, it will introduce a principle of contradiction in the body of the law, which will cause enormous problems.”

His comments were made in written evidence to the Commons home affairs committee, which began its own inquiry into Sharia councils in June. It has not yet held any evidence sessions. [The Times (£)] Read more