So this is how it ends: not with a bang, but a whimper.
The most senior judge in England has declared that Islamic legal principles
in Sharia law may be used within Muslim communities in Britain to settle
marital arguments and regulate finance. Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips
said, "Those entering into a contractual agreement can agree that the
agreement shall be governed by a law other than English law."
In his speech at an East London mosque, Lord Phillips said Muslims in
Britain could use Islamic legal principles as long as punishments - and
divorce rulings - comply with English law. Sharia law does not comply with
English law. It is a law unto itself.
And so the English who gave us the Magna Carta in 1215, William Blackstone
and the foundation of American law are slowly succumbing to the dictates of
intolerant Islam and sowing seeds of their own destruction.
The Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organization (IKWRO), an umbrella
group of activists who work in Muslim countries to liberate women from the
dark side of this oppressive force, according to Womensphere.wordpress.com,
identifies Sharia family law as the fundamental basis for discrimination
against women in the Muslim world, including communities in the United
Kingdom.
Here are just some of the "benefits" British Muslim women can look forward
to if Sharia law replaces English law: The Muslim woman cannot marry without
parental approval, worsening the problem of forced marriage; marriages can
be conducted without the presence of a bride, as long as the guardian
consents, creating a climate for underage and early marriage; Muslim women
may only marry Muslim men.
It gets worse. A Muslim man can divorce his wife by repudiating her; they
have no obligation to support a former wife, or her children after the
divorce; women are prohibited from divorcing husbands without his consent;
abuse is not grounds for a woman to end a marriage; in matters of
inheritance, sons are entitled to twice as much of an estate as daughters.
Divorced women must remain single. If they remarry they can lose custody of
their children. There is no similar requirement for a man. Child custody
often reverts to the father at a preset age, even if the father has been
abusive.