Following remarks about the peaceful nature of Islam by Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, above, the National Secular Society has asked the Justice Secretary David Gauke to ensure judges keep theology out of their courtrooms.
According to this report, the NSS wrote to Gauke after both a watchdog and an ombudsman dismissed complaints about the judge’s claims during trials that Islam “is a religion of peace”.
In March, during the trial of the Parsons Green bomber, Haddon-Cave told the defendant Ahmed Hassan that “the Qur’an is a book of peace” and Islam “is a religion of peace”. The judge added that Hassan had:
"Violated the Qur’an and Islam by your actions".
And he said the terrorist would have:
"Plenty of time to study the Qur’an in prison".
The NSS said such remarks:
"Ran the risk of undermining the judicial principle of neutrality and impartiality".
It asked Gauke to:
"Protect and advance the principles of justice by ensuring that judicial office holders restrict themselves to interpreting the law of the land, rather than religious doctrine". [The Freethinker] Read more
