Home
Secretary Theresa May said Sharia Law and Courts would be refocused to achieve
fairness and equality for all women.
The Home
Office will conduct an independent review that would establish if Sharia law
and courts in England and Wales have discriminated against women and if it is
being "misused.
The review
would re-focus Sharia law to integrate with its compatibility with UK laws.
Sharia
councils had pushed to legitimise forced marriage and issue unfair divorces, an
issue that the
Home Office is deeply investigating.
Islamic and
inter-religious studies from the University of Edinburgh Professor Mona
Siddiqui would lead the review.
The
regulation of Sharia law and courts is part of the UK's anti-extremism
strategy, allowing the government to regulate the courts. The prevention of
rogue Sharia courts would ensure women who may be abused by the courts are
protected by the UK government. The councils have no legal powers in the United
Kingdom and can only deal in civil and theological matters.
Upon
receiving reports and evidence that some courts had mis-used the laws and had
worked them into a discriminatory and unacceptable manner, the Home Office
proceeded to create a fully independent review putting forward the rights and
security for all UK citizens.
