sharia law in Britain

Living in a closed communities, an increasing number of women in the UK are being pressured to accept the findings of Sharia Councils and abandon their rights under English Law

The UK government was challenged in late May to “make it a priority to respond urgently” to the findings of the independent review of the application of Sharia law in England and Wales, published in February, Christian Concern reported. The review stated that “no one disputed that Sharia councils engage in practices which are discriminatory to women.”

Baroness Cox questioned the government’s response in the House of Lords. In her reply to the government she cited an example:

One Muslim lady told me, “I feel betrayed by Britain. I came here to get away from this, and it’s worse here than in the country from which I came”. Therefore, I ask the Minister whether Her Majesty’s Government will make it a priority to respond urgently with appropriate legislation, because many Muslim women are suffering in this country in ways which would make our suffragettes turn in their graves.

Baroness Donaghay highlighted the issue of Muslim women being pressured to resolve issues in Sharia councils:

There are now widespread concerns regarding the nature of consent given prior to Sharia council hearings. Women may be pressured by their families into going to these councils and may lack knowledge of both the English language and their rights under English law. Does the Minister agree that this is an issue of equal rights for women? May I press her on how the Government will ensure the rights of Muslim women and ensure that the rule of law is upheld?

Lord Elton also spoke in this vein:

In assessing the scale of this problem, do Her Majesty’s Government take into account the, I believe, considerable number of people living in closed communities who are under severe pressure, social and otherwise, not to tarnish a family’s honour by going to British law and who may not even speak the English language? They are not likely to show on the radar or to give evidence to inquiries. This problem seems to me bigger and more urgent than Her Majesty’s Government are giving it credit for.

Baroness Cox has a Private Members’ Bill going through the House of Lords that would

require all religious marriages to be legally registered. She said this would: … require all religious marriages to be legally registered, thereby eradicating the vulnerability of Muslim women in the application of Sharia law in this country, whereby a man can divorce his wife merely by saying “I divorce you” three times, and there is widespread polygamy, causing great unhappiness. 

The independent review also proposed that requiring registration of religious marriages would help to prevent polygamy and discriminatory divorces.

A Channel 4 documentary last year highlighted that many Muslim women are unaware that their Islamic marriages are not legally recognised, which means that they have no legal protection if their husband dies or the marriage breaks down. A survey found that 78% of Muslim women wanted their Muslim marriage to be recognised under British law. Christian Concern has supported Baroness Cox’s Private Member’s Bill to require registration of religious marriages and hope that the government acts swiftly to protect women’s rights in this way.

Another example of how Islamic culture is exercising a major impact on the UK and undermining Britain’s traditional freedoms and Rule of Law is reflected in the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). It appears that what amounts to a progressive Islamisation of our society is occurring with the UK Government’s tacit or direct support. Karen Harradine wrote about FGM for Conservative Woman website on 6 June.1

Here are some excerpts from her article: ‘

The worst harm to women and girls in Britain stems not from mythical gender pay gaps or ‘toxic masculinity’. It comes from the acceptance ofimported misogynistic practices. Barely a murmur of protest is heard about this. Instead feminists are hogging the limelight with redundant and nonsensical claims of persecution and discrimination. Equal rights for women are enshrined in law and are vigorously enforced. What is not enforced is the prevention of‘honour’based violence against women and girls’.

‘Immigrants are now an accepted part of our society. But state policies of multiculturalism have failed. Integration is a better and more successful social practice and should have been implemented instead. Multi-culturalism has created parallel communities where immigrants adhere to the lifestyle and cultural values of their homelands and barely assimilate into their host country, to the detriment of all.’

The disastrous result is seen in the growing rate offorced marriages, marriage slavery, FGM and honour killings. These harmful cultural practices are frowned upon in more modern Muslim countries, so why are they allowed in Britain?’

‘Vulnerable minority women and girls are further marginalised because they often don’t speak English and so can be trapped in abusive relationships. Good ideas such as teaching English to immigrant women are shut down with howls of protest by virtuesignallers. And so, because of do-gooders, these women are denied the language tools so vital for escape from servitude and potential ‘honour-based violence.

‘Research by the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation shows that from 2014 to 2016 the annual number of honour-based violent offences against girls and women reported to the police in Britain rose by 53 per cent to 5,105, yet only 5 per cent were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service(CPS).’

‘There are approximately twelve honour killings a year in the UK, and FGM is increasingly rife. In England and Wales there are 137,000 girls and women living with FGM, and 144,000 girls at risk. FGM has been a criminal offence in the UK since 1985, and since 2003 so has taking girls abroad for this purpose. Yet so far only 36 cases have been assigned to the CPS, and there have been no successful prosecutions.’ ‘

FGM is not a religious requirement but a cultural one. The fact that girls feel pressured into being cut is indicative of misguided tolerance of parallel communities here in the UK. We are rightly free to practise our respective religions here. But it is intolerable that vile and misogynistic cultural practices such as FGM have become entrenched – and above the law. On this the UK government needs to be much clearer’.

‘A review ordered by the government into Sharia law a few months ago recommended that the state regulates Sharia marriages by ensuring that Muslim couples legally register their marriages at the same time as their religious ceremonies. The government discarded this with the excuse that it would interfere with ‘freedom of religion’, even though Jewish marriages include a civil ceremony at the same time. The inclusion of a legal practice protects women. So it’s curious why our government does not want the same protection for Muslim women married by Sharia law only.’

’Why has there been such a low prosecution rate for the heinous crimes of honourbased violence and murder? Why is there so little help for these women and girls Do the authorities fear being accused of racism? Whatever the reason, it is disturbing that so few of the perpetrators are ever brought to justice.

It should not be left to the state to help these women and girls. A major shift in the cultural paradigm is needed. Blind adherence to multi-culturalism has meant that the pendulum has swung the other way and that our own Western values, informed by the Enlightenment and JudeoChristian ethos, are being sidelined. Instead, misogynistic, cruel and medieval cultural practices are being tolerated’

‘Part of our Judeo-Christian creed is to speak for the voiceless and to offer succour to the vulnerable and helpless … We cannot be silenced for fear of false accusations of racism and ‘Islamophobia’. Our government, and all of us, need to man up and stop the abuse and terrorising of British citizens.’

There is currently an intense battle raging for Britain’s soul. Opposing Christianity is Secularism and Islam, in alliance. That may seem surprising, but not when we consider it from a spiritual point of view: Secularism and Islam share the goal of destroying Britain’s Judeo-Christian heritage. It is Jesus Christ who is the central pillar of British society. And it is He who put the “Great” into Great Britain. He has not abandoned Britain but many British, including some who call themselves “Christian” have turned their backs on Him.

With the progressive removal of the central pillar of our society it is unsurprising that our nation is increasingly broken and lawless. God is waiting for His Church to wake up and robustly contend for the Gospel. 2 Corinthians 10:5 emboldens us: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

In the Ten Commandments God says: “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)1 Kings 11: 1 to 13 records Solomon’s grievous mistake of allowing the extensive influence of foreign “gods” into Israel. Verse 4 gives the sad verdict that Solomon’s “heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father [King David] had been.” This is the standard that God expects from us, both as individuals and collectively as a nation. We are to give Him our full devotion.

Solomon paid a heavy price for letting foreign “gods” into his nation. This angered God, Who judged him severely. God demands exclusivity, not of race, but of fidelity to Him. He condemned Solomon’s “multi-faith approach”and judged Solomon for it. Deuteronomy 4:24 also makes this clear: “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

We are now in a new Battle of Britain – a battle for Britain’s Christian soul and for its traditional freedoms. We UK Christians are all on the frontline and we should peacefully and fervently Act and Pray.  

1 https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/whenwill-we-call-a-halt-to-the-mutil… -of-british-women/