بريطانيا: دعم برلماني لقانون يقوض المحاكم الشرعية

- خبر من مصادر إنجليزية.

أشارت الصحافة الأمريكية إلى أن مذكرة القانون الذي يهدف للتصدي للأحكام الصادرة عن محاكم الأسرة الإسلامية بـ"بريطانيا" تلقى تأييدًا برلمانيًّا متزايدًا.

وتأتي هذه المذكرة في ظل وجود نحو 85 تطبيقًا لأحكام الأسرة الشرعية، تشكل نظامًا قضائيًا موازيًا خاصًا بأحوال الأسر المسلمة بـ"بريطانيا"؛ مما دفع عدد من السياسيين والنشطاء المدنيين للمطالبة بقانون يُخضع الجميع للمحاكم المدنية، ويساوي بين المواطنين بقطع النظر عن الديانة.

ومن المتوقع أن يعاقب القانون الجديد كل من يرى له الحق في أن يصدر حكمًا جنائيًا –كالحدود والديات - أو متعلقًا بالأسرة والأحوال الشخصية بالسجن خمس سنوات، كما أن العنف الأسري وتقويم المرأة سواجه بمزيد من الحماية الأمنية، هذا بالإضافة لتوعية المسلمات بعدم قبول الزواج دون تقييده بالسجلات الحكومية. المصدر: شبكة الألوكة.

يرجى الإشارة إلى المصدر عند نقل الخبر – شبكة الألوكة.

الخبر من مصدره الأصلي:

British Government Set to Battle Sharia Courts

A bill that challenges illegal discriminatory practices in U.K. shariah forums is gathering support in Britain's parliament. Its passage will be followed with interest in Western countries under pressure to recognize aspects of shariah (Islamic law), particularly in the United States, where formal recognition of shariah in court rulings is stimulating debate.

Approximately 85 shariah forums, such as tribunals, councils and "courts" operate a parallel jurisdiction. Few records are kept and there is no right of appeal. Women are given the impression that discriminatory verdicts have legal validity and are not made aware of more equitable entitlements according to U.K. civil law.

Shariah courts or councils operated for years in the U.K., but in 2007 the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal was established to take advantage of a clause in the Arbitration Act of 1996 that made judgments enforceable under British law. Provided both parties agreed on the verdict, commercial and inheritance disputes could be resolved but criminal and family issues were prohibited and remained the remit of civil courts

The Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Private Members Bill tabled by independent peer and Human Rights campaigner, Baroness Caroline Cox, would not interfere with religious groups who wish to live by their own rules as long as they did not set up parallel legal systems in conflict with British law. However, under the proposed legislation, anyone who falsely claimed the right to adjudicate on criminal or family matters by straying into the remit of civil courts could face a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Under the Bill, any consents or contracts made under duress could be invalidated. Victims of domestic violence would be protected against intimidation. The legislation would make clear that sex discrimination law applied to arbitration tribunals and any evidence of sexism was "a serious irregularity." In cases of domestic violence, a woman who was intimidated or coerced would receive more police protection.

A new duty would be created, warning women against religious marriage ceremonies without civil registration under U.K. law, as upon divorce, they would forgo any state entitlements. Islam is the only religion in the U.K. that fails to register religious marriages.

Individual women, organizations and lawyers who gave evidence prior to the debate drew attention to discrimination in shariah courts, including women's testimony granted only half the weight of men's, inequality in matters of inheritance, divorce and custody, and sanction of polygamy. Women must engage in a lengthy divorce process but men can divorce wives easily and unilaterally. If a divorce is granted, fathers are given custody of children who reach a certain age.