British Sharia Courts Now Legally Binding

(London, UK) Civil and criminal verdicts by Islamic sharia courts are now legally binding under UK law.

A new network of courts in five major cities is hearing cases where Muslims involved agree to be bound by traditional Sharia law, and under the 1996 Arbitration Act the court's decisions can then be enforced by the county courts or the High Court.

Officials behind the new system claim to have dealt with more than 100 cases since last summer, including six involving domestic violence which is a criminal rather than civil offence, and said they hoped to take over growing numbers of 'smaller' criminal cases in future.

The revelations sparked uproar yesterday, with warnings that the fundamental principle of equal treatment for all - the bedrock of British justice - was being gravely undermined.

No kidding, Sherlock. Either there is equal treatment under the law or there is sharia. You can't have it both ways. Under sharia, women are considered to be less equal than men.

Now that the precedent has been set, it's logical to assume that African voodoo proceedings conducted by divinely-inspired shamans will become legally binding under British law. Recognition of voodoo court decisions will likely be limited to cases of theft of spirit, proven disruptive mojo, and failure to pay debts.

In any event, my British friends, throw out the Magna Carta and British Common Law and expect to be governed by virtually any new system of rules that crosses the English Channel or flies into Heathrow.

Also: The Jawa Report