Is Islamic justice coming to the UK?

Some officials argue that it has, in fact, already arrived.

Britain’s leading judge, Lord Nicholas Phillips, caused a controversy recently by saying there may be a place for Sharia, or Islamic religious law, in the UK.

The chief justice was echoing sentiments expressed by the Church of England’s Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, earlier this year when he said that adopting some aspects of Sharia law was “inevitable”.

Many of Britain’s Muslims already seek the guidance of Islamic scholars and leaders to settle their disputes. But opponents of the system argue that any formalisation of the system would cause chaos, setting up a parallel legal system that threatens the rights of women and divides the nation.

On Tuesday Riz Khan looked at the role of Sharia law and whether or not it is right for Great Britain.

Joining the programme were: Stephen Hockman, a former chairman of the Bar Council of England and Wales, who argues that there is a role for Sharia law in the UK; Shaista Gohir who is a government advisor on Muslim women and opposed to the idea of Sharia law, arguing that the vast majority of Britain’s Muslims do not want it; and Taji Mustafa who is a member of the executive committee of Britain’s Hizb ut-Tahrir.

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