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Sharia court frees London knife youths
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor08.02.08
Sharia law "courts" are already dealing with crime on the streets of London, it has emerged.
The revelation came after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, called for an "accommodation" with parts of the Islamic legal code in a speech which attracted widespread condemnation.
The Archbishop said parts of civil law could be dealt with under the sharia system but already some communities have gone much further - and it was revealed today that a teenage stabbing case among the Somali community in Woolwich had been dealt with by a sharia "trial".
Youth worker Aydarus Yusuf, 29, who was involved in setting up the hearing, said a group of Somali youths were arrested by police on suspicion of stabbing another Somali teenager.
The victim's family told officers the matter would be settled out of court and the suspects were released on bail. A hearing was convened and elders ordered the assailants to compensate the victim.
"All their uncles and their fathers were there," said Mr Yusuf. "So they all put something towards that and apologised for the wrongdoing."
An Islamic Council in Leyton also revealed that it had dealt with more than 7,000 divorces while sharia courts in the capital have settled hundreds of financial disputes.
Today's revelations came as controversy raged over Dr Williams's call for parts of sharia law to be adopted in Britain.
His comments were condemned by Downing Street, the Tories and the chairman of the Government's Equalities and Human Rights Commission. They were described as a "recipe for chaos" by Culture Secretary Andy Burnham.
Along with the Islamic Council in Leyton, there are reports of at least two other sharia courts sitting in London. There are also courts in a number of other areas of the country with high Muslim populations, including Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, Birmingham and Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
Most are understood to concentrate on divorce cases - although such judgments are not recognised in British law - as well as financial disputes.
Suhaib Hasan, a spokesman for the Islamic Sharia Council in Leyton, which was set up in 1982, said that he and his colleagues dealt with more than 200 cases a year, ranging from inheritance to marriage and divorce.
"From the beginning, people have wanted our services. More and more come back to us. Each month we deal with 20 cases," he said.
On its website, the Islamic Sharia Council warns those who use its services that the divorces it grants cannot invalidate a union under British civil law and advises that a separate civil divorce should be obtained.
As well as giving advice on legal matters, such as inheritance, the website also gives general guidance on Muslim practices including the need for beards and the need for women to cover themselves in public.
It also covers issues such as whether women should train as doctors. It supports this as a "lesser evil", but suggests that training should take place at an all female college and that future treatment should be given to "women only".
Reader views (22)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
This topic was aired twice on Radio 4, firstly in 2006 then again this month (February 2008). The programme is called law in Action. If anyone heard that programme they would have heard Idris Yusuf say clearly, when he was asked what type of law they operate, 'it is not Sharia Law nor is it religious law', but something that Somalis use amongst themselves called Gar.
- Aaron Cohen, Manchester
Sharia is not part of our justice system. "Sharia" means 'way of life' and is the rules of the Qu'aran that Muslim people observe in determining the rules of how they live. It is not relevant to anyone who isn't muslim, it is not a 'law'. If the families of muslim offenders wish to deal privately with misdemeanors that is their own business but under UK Law any criminal offences must also be dealt with by the judicial system. The two things are not related. To call 'Sharia' a law is a big mistake.
- Real, London UK
No the real question should be: How much longer are the people going to suffer this
government.
- Col, West London
This article hasn't made it clear if these youths still face British justice. They have been released on bail. Is this the end of the matter? What do the police say? I thought the justice system still supposedly operated under One Law For All in this country?
- Oliver Deckard, london, UK
Someone in the UK should look very carefully at the Muslim Law on divorce, there is religious divorce and civil divorce. For the sake of women, keep Muslim Law out of British Law, freedom is a wonderful thing and hard won, don't go backwards.
- Angela Rigby, daylesford australia
The victims didn't press charges. End of. Nothing to do with Sharia law. Lots of victims of domestic abuse don't press charges either.
- Alan, Islington
If this story is true it is deeply disturbing that these people have escaped the law. What happens the next time they attack someone?
- Belle, UK
What is going on in this once great and proud country? Knife someone and the police let you out to sit in some court not recognised under 'British' law and you're freed. Pensioners can't pay their council tax - oh, sorry you're off to prison. This country is becoming an embarrassment and our government is a pure joke!
- Pete L, Herts
Whatever next - people who live in this country should abide by our laws and culture.
- H. O'Dell, Hertford, Herts
But this is England. Here offenders should be punished with a jail sentence as well as providing compensation to the victims of their crime. Now that I would welcome. Better the compenastion coming from the perpertrators of crimes and their family, rather than from the State's Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.
- Dhanraj, Basildon, Essex
Aren't these 'kangaroo courts'? They should be broken up for unlawful activities. The 'judges' etc., should go to real trials for perverting the course of justice.
- John H. Evans, London, UK.
This has absolutely nothing to do with Sharia law. The victim simply didn't press charges. So, nothing the police could do about it. The issue of what two individuals decide to do in order to resolve a dispute is entirely up to them.
- Jimmy, London
What happened to the law about taking the law into your own hands? This country isn't going down the pan, its gone down the pan.
- Good Man, London
Sounds like anarchy..
- Peter, London
Under Blair and new Labour's government,muslims who are here for economic reasons have started to act as a separate society -a Sharia Society if allowed would cause havoc in Britain. Even risking being branded as anti-muslim and racists Cameron, Brown and Clegg should condemn the Sharia courts and ban them as illegal groups. If allowed to flourish they will wreck the country and make a mockery of the justice system
- Gary Smith, London
Was it not an English king Henry 2nd, if memory serves, who said "who will rid me of the turbulent priest?" and Thomas Becket the then AoC, went for a burton. the present AoC is probably a nice man but he is in this world but not of it. I recall a message from an australian Minister of State who said that if you do not like the laws in the place you choose to reside then you move on. The above story of the stabbing deserves more coverage nationally and not just in the big smoke. As for the man on TV this morning claiming all of the comments against the AoC were the work of the BNP he should at least have been fined by the fashion police for his outfit and also for making such fatuous remarks.
- Ron Oliver, Edinburgh Scotland
If the case of the "stabbing" incident is true then there should be some very serious questions asked of the police authority in question. A separate judicial system for Muslims or any other nationality cannot be allowed to exist in the UK. This is the United Kingdom, if people cannot or will not live by its laws then they have the choice to live where the law they wish to live by exists.
- Gary, Surrey, UK
Ha ha! So some Muslims released some other Muslims for stabbing a Muslim. What a joke!
- Squiz, Islington
If true, the officers who allowed this to be settled out of court should be sacked. If there is a case to be answered then it must be answered. It’s not up to the victim’s family or a youth worker to decide how to deal with a criminal act. This country is really going down the pan.
- Paul B, London
The Archbishop of Canterbury, my kindest thought is he is "a fool."
- Derick, Wales
So basically they were let off... brilliant.
- Casper Slides, Bath, UK
Unbelievable, it is the thin end of the wedge. There are none so blind as those who will not see. Guess who I shall vote for next time as we now have no choice?
- Rex Williams, Plymouth, UK
