Odessa

Well, not court, per se, but rather binding arbitration. While I find Islam's attitude toward women disgusting, the binding arbitration that the Sharia Courts are deciding on are mostly civil issues such as divorce, inheritance and community disagreements (such as a neighbor dispute).

Article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4749183.ece

I get it, freedom of religion and all. Plus, the Brits have let similar Jewish courts operate for some time. But Islamic law is a totally different beast than Jewish law.

I would hope that the women agreeing to go to the Sharia court have been counciled on their rights and/or realize they are going to get the royal shaft. I would also hope that there are some checks and balances to make sure that the women agreeing to these proceedings are not being coerced into them. However, considering the "honor" killings that we hear about and the relative seclusion many of these women face, I am not too optomistic about the Muslim women subjected to these proceedings knowing fully what they are getting into.

The part of this that does make my blood boil is the fact that domestic abuse is lumped in with the above mentioned civil issues. Supporters of these courts applaude that fact that the husbands are sent to anger management, it saves the marrage and the women ultimately drop any criminal charges. No follow-up, no making sure the woman has dropped the charges of her own accord, nothing. I wonder how many Muslim women are going to have trips to the hospital or the morgue before the British authorities rethink this aspect of the Sharia courts. Just a thought.