Islam in Britain: Opinion piece on Sharia Councils

Friday, 2 April 2010

Opinion piece on Sharia Councils

Mark Pritchard, [Conservative MP for The Wrekin], Shropshire Star, Blog: Sharia Councils ‘undermine social cohesion’, 2 Apr 2010 "Since the 1996 Arbitration Act, Government ministers have allowed Islamic tribunals around Britain to rule on a range of financial disputes, provided both parties agree to accept the court’s decision. But in recent years, these tribunals have developed into fully fledged Sharia Councils – allowed to settle new disputes, such as divorce, family law, and faith issues. These powers go well beyond the letter and spirit of the original legislation and whilst they provide new ways of dispensing cheap justice they do not always dispense fair justice." As we stumble towards a general election, expect more opinions on Islam from various perspectives. Other opinions are available....

Islamic Algorithms

Gary R. Bunt is Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David; Principal Investigator for the ESRC funded Digital British Islam project; Co-Investigator for the CHANSE funded Digital Islam Across Europe project.

Prof. Bunt's book Hashtag Islam: How Cyber Islamic Environments are Transforming Religious Authority was published in 2018. A new book, Islamic Algorithms, is out in May 2024.

Islam in Britain started in 2009; it provides a series of links to information relating to Islam and Muslims in Britain, part of virtuallyislamic.com. Archived links can be found here. Follow the X feed (@garybunt) for regular updates.

Inclusion of headlines, links and comments does not imply endorsement by Gary R. Bunt or affiliated projects and organisations. Links are for information purposes only.

Gary R. Bunt