British Muslims lean toward Islamic courts

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0310010289oct01,1,5518719.story


Shariah judges handle divorces, business disputes

By Tom Hundley
Tribune foreign correspondent
Published October 1, 2003

LONDON -- Two years ago, Mahmood Khawel, a 34-year-old financial consultant and devout Muslim from the Midlands city of Peterborough, wanted a quickie divorce.

So he went to an Islamic court in London where he performed the divorce ritual known as talaq. Standing before a judge, he declared three times in succession that he was repudiating his wife. Judge Omar Bakri Muhammad, an expert in Shariah, the sacred law of Islam, granted the divorce on the spot.

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During the past decade, a parallel universe of Islamic jurisprudence has sprouted across Britain. Shariah courts can be found in almost every large city. In London, different Muslim immigrant groups--the Somalis in Woolwich, for example--have established ad hoc courts that cater to their community's needs.

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Anjem Choudary, a lawyer with a degree from a British university, represents clients in Shariah court as well as in Britain's civil court system. He often hears the argument that when Muslims choose to live in Britain, they should obey British law.

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Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune


Shariah law: Coming soon to rock your world. :)

Damn right they should obey british laws, when in Rome. I am in America therefore i obey american laws, when i was in saudi i obeyed their laws, china was the same. Whats the point of laws if every immigrant or person who decides they want to have their own laws. This is just a recipe for anarchy.

Stupid loons.

Or are they violating laws? i don't see what's wrong with religous courts, as long as it's mutual consent and everything that occurs isn't illegal.