‘A greater number of women will have the full protection afforded to them in family law and they will face less discriminatory practices’
Muslims in the UK should undergo a civil marriage as well as a religious ceremony to make sure women are protected under the law, an independent review of sharia councils has said.
The measure was needed to lessen “discriminatory practices” in the councils, the report found, although it said that abolishing them was “not viable” and they were “fulfilling a need in some Muslim communities”.
Led by Professor Mona Siddiqui, the review was commissioned by Theresa May in 2016, when she was Home Secretary, to investigate whether sharia law was being misused.
A report on the review’s findings also recommended a public body be set up to regulate sharia councils, which deal with aspects of Islamic law. The Home Office immediately dismissed the suggestion.
The review found that the vast majority of people using sharia councils were women seeking an Islamic divorce, although very few council members were women. [The Independent] Read more
