New legislation may be needed to curb the activities of informal sharia courts that are operating in Britain, said the organisers of the One Law For All campaign, which was launched at the House of Lords this week. Maryam Namazie, commented that sharia law was undesirable in any form as it sets up conflicts between both human rights and civil law in Britain. â??Even in civil matters, Sharia law is discriminatory, unfair and unjust, particularly against women and children,â?? she said. Of particular concern was whether women were being coerced into using these courts and tribunals against their best interests… Gina Khan, a secular Muslim who has been fighting for justice on these issues, spoke of her own and her familyâ??s experiences at the hands of sharia justice. She spoke passionately about the way extremists within the Muslim community were exerting control through giving the impression that â??real Muslimsâ?? would settle their disputes using only â??Godâ??s Sacred Lawâ??. This, she said, led to injustice to Muslim women, many of whom didnâ??t know they had rights in British civil courts. Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society, said: â??Sharia is becoming a growth industry in Britain, putting growing pressure on vulnerable people in the Muslim community to use sharia councils and tribunals to resolve disputes and family matters, when they could use the civil courts. Sharia â??lawâ?? is not arrived at by the democratic process, is not Human Rights compliant, and there is no right of appeal.â??
