Top UK Judges in Key Ruling on Shariah Marriage
THE OBSERVER: Three senior judges are to rule on the legality of an arranged marriage conducted in the UK under sharia law, a judgment that could have profound consequences for British Muslims.

Last week, as Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, declared it was 'inevitable' that certain parts of Islamic law would be introduced into Britain, the Court of Appeal was told how a 26-year-old British Muslim with learning difficulties was married over the telephone to a woman in Bangladesh. It was arranged by the man's father and deemed lawful under sharia law.

Lord Justice Thorpe, Lord Justice Hall and Lady Justice Hallett were asked by the man's family to reject an earlier decision that, because the groom was unable to give his consent, the marriage was unlawful. Mr Justice Wood said that the true test into the validity of the marriage was 'whether the marriage is so offensive to the conscience of the English court that it should refuse to recognise and give effect to the proper foreign law'.

The judge added that the long-standing British policy to recognise sharia marriages conducted abroad should be offset by the understanding that 'there are occasions when such a marriage cannot be recognised in England, for example where to do so would be repugnant to public policy'.

The case was brought by Westminster city council community services department after the local authority raised concerns about a marriage in which the groom could not possibly have given consent because of his learning disabilities.

The marriage took place in September 2006. Although the bridegroom stayed in London and listened to the ceremony by speakerphone, the ceremony took place in Bangladesh and was declared valid under sharia law.

Yogi Amin of the law firm Irwin Mitchell, representing Westminster council, said: 'This case highlights that the law in this country may clash with sharia law and the cultural wishes of the family.' He added: 'The High Court held that the marriage in this case ... is not valid under English law, and that any marriage entered into by this vulnerable adult whether inside or outside England will not be recognised under English law.' Top judges in key ruling on sharia marriage >>> By Mark Townsend

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Powerful Clergy Launch Attack on Archbishop
THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: Two of the most powerful figures in the church today united to launch a stinging attack on the Archbishop of Canterbury after his comments on sharia law.

As pressure mounted on Dr Rowan Williams, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, insisted that migrants must obey the British legal system.

Meanwhile, Lord Carey, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, claimed any adoption of sharia would be "disastrous" for Britain.

He went on: "He (Dr Williams) has overstated the case for accommodating Islamic legal codes.

"His conclusion that Britain will eventually have to concede some place in law for aspects of sharia is a view I cannot share.

"There can be no exceptions to the laws of our land which have been so painfully honed by the struggle for democracy and human rights."

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Lord Carey went on to claim multiculturism had created Islamic ghettos and that the introduction of sharia would only lead to more demands from the Muslim community.

"This is absolutely inevitable, since questions to do with the separation of 'church and state' are largely new to Islam. Sharia law trumps civil law every time," he wrote.

"Many Muslim interpreters of sharia believe that it supersedes secular law and assume that its 'God-given' status would lead to the point of eventually replacing civil law." Two of the most powerful clergy in Britain launch stinging attack on Archbishop over sharia row >>>

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Archbishop or Archdhimmi?

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Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Shariah Law May Result in ‘Legal Apartheid’
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Senior religious leaders attack multiculturalism and sharia law today, warning that they are "disastrous", socially divisive and are destroying Britain's culture and values.

Lord Carey and Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor rebut the call of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, for Islamic law to be recognised in Britain.

Lord Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury, said: "His acceptance of some Muslim laws within British law would be disastrous for the nation. He has overstated the case for accommodating Islamic legal codes.

"His conclusion that Britain will eventually have to concede some place in law for aspects of sharia is a view I cannot share.

"There can be no exceptions to the laws of our land which have been so painfully honed by the struggle for democracy and human rights."

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, said that the Government's promotion of multiculturalism had destroyed the unity that used to hold society together. Immigrants must "obey the laws of this country".

Writing in this newspaper, Lord Carey condemns multiculturalism as "disastrous", blames it for creating Islamic ghettos and says that Dr Williams's support for sharia law will "inevitably lead to further demands from the Muslim community". Sharia law may result in 'legal apartheid' >>> By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent

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The Laws of the Land Must Be Obeyed!
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Tucked behind Westminster Cathedral on a quiet back street, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor's home is only a short walk from Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury's official residence which sits on the south-bank of the Thames.

On the issues of sharia law and multiculturalism, however, Britain's two most senior Christian leaders appear to be worlds apart.

Dr Rowan Williams, head of the Anglican Church, caused uproar last week with his suggestion that the incorporation of aspects of sharia into UK law might be "unavoidable", and could aid social cohesion. Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, leader of the 4.5? million Catholics in England and Wales, begs to differ. He is adamant that such a move would only make segregation even more entrenched.

"I don't believe in a multicultural society," he says firmly. "When people come into this country they have to obey the laws of the land."

He has a mellifluous voice and an affable manner, but the cardinal becomes steely when discussing the problems facing British society, and the issue of sharia law.

"There are going to be certain things which might clash in the overall culture of the country. That's where one has to make a judgement," he says, then pauses before continuing, aware of the sensitivity of the issue. "There are aspects of sharia that are practised that we certainly wouldn't want in this country. The laws of this country don't allow forced marriages or polygamy.

"It seems to me a government and a country has a right to make sure that those laws are kept." People here ‘must obey the laws of the land’ >>>

THE TELEGRAPH:
Are we promoting harmony or Muslim ghettos? By Lord Carey

THE MAIL ON SUNDAY:
SHARIA: Now Archbishop is forced to explain himself to General Synod By Daniel Boffey and Polly Dunbar

TIMESONLINE:
Archbishop, you've committed treason

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’Inbreeding’ a Big Problem among Muslim Community, Warn Ministers
TIMESONLINE: A government minister has warned that inbreeding among immigrants is causing a surge in birth defects - comments likely to spark a new row over the place of Muslims in British society.

Phil Woolas, an environment minister, said the culture of arranged marriages between first cousins was the “elephant in the room”. Woolas, a former race relations minister, said: “If you have a child with your cousin the likelihood is there’ll be a genetic problem.”

The minister, whose views were supported by medical experts this weekend, said: “The issue we need to debate is first cousin marriages, whereby a lot of arranged marriages are with first cousins, and that produces lots of genetic problems in terms of disability [in children].”

Woolas emphasised the practice did not extend to all Muslim communities but was confined mainly to families originating from rural Pakistan. However, up to half of all marriages within these communities are estimated to involve first cousins. Minister warns of ‘inbred’ Muslims >>> By Dipesh Gadher, Christopher Morgan and Jonathan Oliver

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Bandar bin Sultan Feels a Chill Wind on His Assets
TIMESONLINE: PRINCE Bandar Bin Sultan, the former Saudi Arabian ambassador to America, has been hit by a court order in effect freezing some of his US assets, as part of a class-action lawsuit over bribery allegations at British defence giant BAE Systems. Saudi royal Prince Bandar Bin Sultan's assets frozen >>> By Grant Ringshaw

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Archbishop Under Pressure to Quit
BBC: The Archbishop of Canterbury continues to face calls for his resignation despite attempts to defuse the row over his Islamic Sharia law comments.

Dr Rowan Williams has been condemned from inside and outside his church for saying the adoption of parts of the law was "unavoidable" in Britain.

At least two General Synod members have called for him to quit and he has been heckled as he left a church service.

But supporters say his comments have been misinterpreted.

The archbishop is said to be shocked and hurt by the hostility his comments have provoked, and on his website he said he "certainly did not call for its introduction as some kind of parallel jurisdiction to the civil law".

However the criticism mounted as his predecessor Lord George Carey accused Dr Williams of overstating the case for accommodating Islamic legal codes. ’Brilliant scholar’ >>>

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Archbishop Faces Calls to Quit

NZZ Online:
Rücktritt von Erzbischof gefordert

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Harems Pay Off for Muslims in Toronto
Islamic leaders: Hundreds in GTA get extra welfare for polygamous unions

TORONTO SUN: Hundreds of GTA Muslim men in polygamous marriages -- some with a harem of wives -- are receiving welfare and social benefits for each of their spouses, thanks to the city and province, Muslim leaders say.

Mumtaz Ali, president of the Canadian Society of Muslims, said wives in polygamous marriages are recognized as spouses under the Ontario Family Law Act, providing they were legally married under Muslim laws abroad.

"Polygamy is a regular part of life for many Muslims," Ali said yesterday. "Ontario recognizes religious marriages for Muslims and others."

He estimates "several hundred" GTA husbands in polygamous marriages are receiving benefits. Under Islamic law, a Muslim man is permitted to have up to four spouses. Harems pay off for Muslims >>> By Tom Godfrey, Sun Media

Hat tip: Robert Spencer

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Fitna
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: The Hague - The populist leader of the Dutch Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, says his film about the Qu'ran will be called Fitna, or ordeal. Mr Wilders says he chose the term because he believes that Islam is the most recent ordeal for Western democracies, following Nazism and communism.

He says the film, which will appear in March and will be about 15 minutes long, will show that the Qu'ran is a Fascist book which incites people to commit acts of violence. [Source: Wilders' film to be called Fitna]

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An Islamic History of Europe: التاريخ الإسلامي في أوروبا
This series of twelve BBC videos are well worth watching. Bear in mind, however, that much appears to have been whitewashed. There is no talk of dhimmitude; and in general a very rosy picture is painted. One could be forgiven for believing that this is the story of El Dorado! You decide on the accuracy of all that has been reported. Above all, enjoy!


Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
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The Netherlands: School Burqa Ban
ASSOCIATED PRESS: THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch Cabinet said Friday it wants to ban burqas from all schools and prevent government employees from wearing the head-to-toe Islamic robes, but said it was impossible to outlaw them altogether.

In a policy letter to Parliament, the Cabinet said it would send a proposal to lawmakers within a few months on banning burqas in schools and said it would push government offices to forbid burqas in their staff dress regulations.

The move is largely symbolic as only around 150 women are believed to wear burqas in this country of 16 million. But it is another sign of the turning tide of Dutch tolerance as the nation seeks to assimilate its Muslim population of about 840,000.

"I value being able to look somebody in the eye," Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said, referring to the fact that the robes cover a woman's face. "I find it unpleasant." Dutch Cabinet Wants School Burqa Ban >>> By Mike Corder

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"Wild Thing"
THE ECONOMIST: THE Netherlands is going through a “considerable crisis”, says the prime minister. The Iranians are musing publicly about cutting diplomatic ties. The grand mufti of Syria has issued grave warnings of war and bloodshed. Dutch citizens living in Muslim countries have been asked to report any worrying incidents.

The one thing missing is the cause of the fuss: an anti-Islamic film neither made nor shown by a Dutch member of parliament, Geert Wilders. In November Mr Wilders revealed his plan to air on television an exposé of the wickedness of the Koran, which he calls an Islamic “Mein Kampf”. The film is said to include shots of him desecrating the Koran. Dutch state television appears reluctant to show it, so Mr Wilders now talks of a private broadcaster, or using the internet. But the mere talk of his film has been enough to ignite a renewed debate about Islam in Europe and the limits on free speech.

The Dutch have reason to worry. Two years ago the publication of Muhammad cartoons in a Danish newspaper triggered anti-Danish riots around the Muslim world. Two years before that a film about Islam, “Submission”, was shown on Dutch television; soon afterwards its director, Theo van Gogh, was butchered in an Amsterdam street by a radical Dutch Islamist, who also threatened the screenplay writer, Ayaan Hirsi Ali (now living in America). Mr Wilders's film could, some fear, have similarly violent consequences. Wild thing: The Netherlands frets about the likely impact of a new anti-Islam film >>>

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Ian Buruma’s Viewpoint: A War on Tolerance
HAARETZ: AMSTERDAM - When "tolerance" becomes a term of abuse in a place like the Netherlands, you know that something has gone seriously wrong. The Dutch always took pride in being the most tolerant people on earth. In less feverish times than these, no one could possibly have taken exception to Queen Beatrix's speech last Christmas, when she pleaded for tolerance and "respect for minorities." But Geert Wilders, leader of the right-wing, anti-Muslim Party of Freedom, was so disgusted by the Dutch queen's "multicultural rubbish" that he wanted her to be stripped of her constitutional role in the government.

Wilders, a popular rabble-rouser whose party occupies nine seats in the Dutch parliament, compares the Koran to Hitler's "Mein Kampf," wants to stop Muslims from moving to the Netherlands and thunders that those who are already in the country should tear up half the Koran if they wish to stay. Tolerance toward Islam is cowardly appeasement in his eyes. He thinks that Europe is in peril of being "Islamized." "There will soon be more mosques than churches," he says, if true Europeans don't have the guts to stand up and save Western civilization.

Notwithstanding his call to ban the Koran, Wilders and his admirers claim to believe in unfettered free speech as a Western birthright. Beatrix stated that the right to free speech does not automatically mean the right to offend. Wilders disagrees. No criticism of Islam, however offensive, should ever be hampered by political correctness. Wilders uses every opportunity to test Muslims' (often very limited) tolerance. His latest provocation is a short film denouncing Islam, which is yet to be screened but has already caused panic all around. Remarkably for a Dutch politician - and a minor one, at that - news of Wilders' antics has reached the world press. Dutch embassies are bracing themselves for violent demonstrations, and the government is considering special security measures.

Some commentators suggest that Wilders, born and raised as a Catholic in a provincial Dutch town, is, like his Muslim enemies, a true believer, driven by the goal of keeping Europe "Judeo-Christian." Perhaps, but this is probably a red herring. His war on Islam is also, and perhaps even mainly, a war on the cultural and political elites, the Dutch intellectual establishment, the Eurocrats of Brussels and the liberal-minded queen. A War on Tolerance >>> By Ian Buruma

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Firm Rejection of Introduction of Shariah Law in Australia
"... this is a ham sandwich to a crocodile"
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: THE Federal Government has ruled out the introduction of Islamic courts in Australia following debate triggered by the global head of the Anglican Church.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said Muslims should to be able to resolve marital and financial disputes under Islamic law, rather than the mainstream judicial system.

This could help improve social cohesion, he said in a radio interview in Britain. Australian Muslim leaders put a similar proposal to the Howard government in April 2005, but it was rejected.

Yesterday the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, also ruled out introducing Islamic law, or sharia. "The Rudd Government is not considering and will not consider the introduction of any part of sharia law into the Australian legal system," he said.

The Opposition Leader, Brendan Nelson, said everyone who came to Australia should accept the existing laws.

"Now this is a ham sandwich to a crocodile," he said. "The idea that in some way you would change your basic values, culture and law to accommodate some people who feel that they don't want to see themselves as Australians first, above all else - under no circumstances would I support that." Australia rejects call for Islamic courts >>>

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Gay Asians ‘Marrying to Conform’
BBC: Asian gays and lesbians in the UK have married people of the opposite sex in a bid to conform to traditional values and beliefs, it has been claimed.

Gay activists said these marriages happened because some members of their community felt homosexuals brought shame on their people.

They said in some cases gay and lesbian people had been beaten and abused.

The BBC has seen hundreds of people advertising on the internet for so-called marriages of convenience.

One of them is 19-year-old Rubina, from south-east England, who placed an advert on an Asian gay website.

She said: "I just want to make life easier, I want to get my family off my back, because they're pressurising me to get married.

"In my culture it's not acceptable to be gay. If I have a marriage of convenience it will give them the illusion that I'm straight and I can carry on with who I want." Gay Asians 'marrying to conform' >>> By Naresh Puri

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Gay Asians’ Pressure to Marry

GAY RELATED ISSUE:

BBC:
Anti-gay police complaints 'rise'

LISTEN TO BBC AUDIO:
Rise in Anti-Gay Police Attacks

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Turkey Relaxes Headscarf Ban
YNET NEWS: Parliament approves two constitutional amendments that would lift decades-old ban in universities despite fierce opposition of secular establishment

Turkey's parliament on Saturday approved two constitutional amendments that would lift a decades-old ban on Islamic head scarves in universities, despite the fierce opposition of the secular establishment.

Parliament voted 403-107 in favor of the amendment that would insert a paragraph into the Constitution stating that everyone has the right to equal treatment from state institutions. The lawmakers voted 403-108 to approve the second and final amendment that says "no one can be deprived of (his or her) right to higher education," Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan said.

In predominantly Muslim Turkey, which seeks European Union membership, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party has channeled the frustration of devout masses, who feel excluded from the establishment, into political action. Turkey relaxes head scarf ban >>>

YNET NEWS:
Don’t wear veil abroad, Egyptian mufti says: Sheikh Ali Gomaa's remarks spark row in his country, other Arab states after stating Muslim women should not walk around with veils in foreign countries as it could cause a political problem >>> By Roee Nahmias

BBC:
Turkey eases ban on headscarves

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Turks Voting on Headscarf Ban

EL PAÍS:
Turquía aprueba definitivamente permitir el velo islámico en las universidades: El Parlamento turco acaba con décadas de prohibición del pañuelo musulmán, instaurada en aras de la laicidad

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

What the Archbishop Wishes On Us Is an Abomination
THE INDEPENDENT: What Rowan Williams wishes upon us is an abomination and I write here as a modern Muslim woman. He lectures the nation on the benefits of sharia law – made by bearded men, for men – and wants the alternative legal system to be accommodated within our democracy in the spirit of inclusion and cohesion.

Pray tell me sir, how do separate and impenetrable courts and schools and extreme female segregation promote commonalities and deep bonds between citizens of these small isles?

What he did on Thursday was to convince other Britons, white, black and brown, that Muslims want not equality but exceptionalism and their own domains. Enlightened British Muslims quail. Friends like this churchman do us more harm than our many enemies. He passes round what he believes to be the benign libation of tolerance. It is laced with arsenic.

He would not want his own girls and women, I am sure, to "choose" to be governed by these laws he breezily endorses. And he is naive to the point of folly if he imagines it is possible to pick and choose the bits that are relatively nice to the girls or ones that seem to dictate honourable financial transactions.

Look around the Islamic world where sharia rules and, in every single country, these ordinances reduce our human value to less than half that is accorded a male; homosexuals are imprisoned or killed, children have no free voice or autonomy, authoritarianism rules and infantilises populations.

What's more, different Muslim nations claim to have their own allegedly god-given sharia. In Saudi Arabia, women cannot drive (What in Allah's name could the Koran have warned about cars?). In Bangladesh and Pakistan, they have no such bar to driving, although increasingly Saudi Wahabi Islam is taking over and we see Saudi sharia taking hold.

It is growing in influence here, too. Ten years ago, the only fully shrouded Muslim women around were from the Arab fiefdoms, the many wives of sheikhs often drawn by cartoonists to convey the absurdity and inhumanity of such cloaks. Now all of Europe has these girls and women rendering themselves invisible in public spaces. It is their elected sharia, so they claim without credibility. There is no agreed body of sharia, it is all drafted by males and the most cruel is now claiming absolute authority. What he wishes on us is an abomination: Sharia is nothing but a human concoction of medieval religious opinion >>> By Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

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The Archbishop Has Stepped Into a Political and Intellectual Minefield
THE INDEPENDENT: The Archbishop of Canterbury's speech this week on the relationship between civil and religious law is a hopeless intellectual muddle. Dr Rowan Williams argues that the UK must "face up to the fact" that some citizens do not relate to the British legal system and that "the law needs to takes some account of that". One of his suggestions is "a constructive accommodation with some aspects of Muslim law".

The glaring problem with such an "accommodation" is that only Muslims would be bound by sharia. In a liberal and open society all citizens must be equal before the laws of the nation. There can be no laws which apply only to certain religious or cultural groups. Dr Williams says the idea that there is "one law for everybody and that's all there is" is dangerous. On the contrary, that unified legal system is what underpins our freedoms. If Dr Williams thinks "one law" is dangerous, he should consider the social consequences of different groups being governed by different legal jurisdictions. Leading article: The Archbishop has stepped into a political and intellectual minefield >>>

THE INDEPENDENT:
Church moves to the defence of Archbishop By Colin Brown and Jerome Taylor

THE TELEGRAPH:
Archbishop, with sharia it's all or nothing By Charles Moore

LE FIGARO:
Le primat anglican par qui le scandale arrive De Cyrille Vanlerberghe

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Mark Alexander (Hardback)

The Archbishop of Canterbury Faces Calls for His Resignation
THE TELEGRAPH: The Archbishop of Canterbury faced calls for his resignation yesterday as bishops joined politicians in criticising his remarks supporting the adoption of sharia law.

Dr Rowan Williams was urged to quit by angry members of the General Synod, the Church's "parliament", who claimed he was undermining the Christian faith.

Lord Carey, his predecessor, and the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, also challenged his view that aspects of Islamic law could be incorporated into the English legal system.

The row erupted on Thursday when Dr Williams suggested that the introduction of Muslim laws into the UK was "unavoidable".
The strength of the backlash represents one of the most serious blows to the Archbishop's authority since his appointment five years ago. He faces more pressure when the Synod convenes for a five-day meeting in London on Monday.

Last night friends of the Archbishop said he was "completely overwhelmed" by the hostility of the response and in a "state of shock" at the barrage of criticism. Rowan Williams faces calls to resign >>> By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent

DAILY MAIL:
Sharia law row: Archbishop is in shock as he faces demands to quit By Steve Doughty and Michael Seamark

DAILY MAIL:
Sharia UK: What exactly does it mean? By Richard Pendlebury

NZZ Online:
Erzbischof verteidigt sich nach Scharia-Äusserungen: Gegen Einführung eines «parallelen Rechtssystems»

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