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Sharia in Britain - a retrograde step!

Jul 5 2008 | Views 341 | Comments (6)

Chief Justice of Britain Lord Philip’s observation that Muslims in Britain should be able to... Expand

Chief Justice of Britain Lord Philip’s observation that Muslims in Britain should be able to decide financial and marital disputes based on Sharia law has inflamed the controversy again which started earlier this year with Archbishop of Canterbury’s suggestion that aspects of sharia should be adopted in Britain.

I have no personal antipathy to the idea of law based on religious codes or application of religious principles in limited scope (limited to personal matters and not extending to criminal justice) as the alternative form of dispute resolution if that’s amenable to the people. Constitution of India has ample provisions for religious codification to resolve the personal matters in line with its pluralistic spirit. However the Indian experiment of legal system based on personal laws has only divided people than united. The Indian Muslims have largely been apartheid in India and the codification of personal laws based on religious traditions has always been one of the prime reasons.

A uniform code of civil procedure and a criminal justice system based on human rights and principles of equity is always a superior form of law, than any other form of legal system based on religious believes or ancient traditions. Thus, I doubt that Lord Philip’s observations were really inspired by his intellectual brilliance or jurisprudence. I believe he was merely trying to placate the disgruntled Muslims in Britain and if that’s true, then Lord Philip was certainly venturing into a territory which is completely outside his understanding and expertise. This policy issue should have better been left to the members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Indian style personal laws in Britain would only alienate the British Muslims from the mainstream. The young British Muslims would become further vulnerable to being led astray by Islamic fundamentalists who has anyway seeped deep into the social fabric of British Muslims.

The principle of appeasement would not abridge the divide between Britons and British Muslims; it would only create an India like apartheid society. If Sharia is introduced in Britain in any form, it would prove to be divisive and retrograde. It may perk up the fundamentalist ambitions and I won’t be surprised if they fundamentalist forces start demanding implementation of sever punishments prescribed in Sharia like flogging, stoning or chopping hands off.

The challenge that lies ahead of Britain is how to modernize the minds of young British Muslims. It would not be an over statement to say in my opinion that the fate of this country will depend on its dexterity to inspire and igniting these young minds.

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Comments (6)

santhemant posted 1 month ago

you have suggested them the best way ahwad indeed and for the human kind and to the glory of all faiths esp.islam.amen let peace preavail all over in all minds agitated by sixe enemies within us all.

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Thakurk posted 1 month ago

Hi Santhemant

Thanks for stopping by!

It is never too late…in fact Muslims in developed countries like America and UK can be the beckon light of change. They can assume the burden of showing the world how peaceful religion Islam is? I don’t believe that all of a sudden the madrassas in Pakistan will stop breeding religious extremists. But certainly the Muslims in the developed world can orchestrate a secular, tolerant and peaceful facade of Islam to the world…they can and they should weed out the retrograde aspect of the Islamic society and give it a progressive and modern outlook just the way Christians did in last one century.

Christians fought holy wars which were equally savage and bloody, but what’s remarkable is their transformation for better. Vatican publically apologized almost a decade back for declaring Galileo’s theory that the earth revolves around the sun as anti-Biblical. We want similar modernization in Islamic faith. I don’t believe that this leadership can come from Islamic Institutions in Pakistan or Middle East. But The Islamic Institution in US, UK and may be in India can certainly take a lead in reforming Islamic society. I am appalled by the constructive role Churches in United States play in touching and transforming the lives of the people. Why can not the Islamic Institutions of faith play a similar role? It just requires a forward-looking vision which I believe Muslims in US, UK and India can provide to the rest of the world. Amen!

Kartik

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santhemant posted 1 month ago

it is too late for that ..you know if you have roamed the streets of UK ..wherever they are they will ultimately take themselves back to middle ages..as the clergy ebhind them convinces them at the end that this is better than the polluted impure western influences...many things in sharia were good relevant to those ages..but they do not have one basic tenet-let good thoughts come to us from all sides always ever..so they will dip again with every rise..we all are waiting for a HH Prophet or else from DIVINE help to rmove the blindfolds from the clergies eyes...as they lead them everywhere even in kashmir where all came on the streets aroused by mosques all over when a two month lease was given on mountain lands for the minority hindus to have their pious ancient marnath yatra..forget modernissing them all of them are post graduates..the terrorists misguided by the clergy's interpretation of Islam..

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Thakurk posted 1 month ago

Dear Maddass,

Thanks for your note. I was little bit caught up with work...but I guess I will soon be regular with my blogs...Britain is in deep crisis because of the British Muslims...the Muslim fanaticism is threat to the very existence of Britain. I was surprised when last year I visited Birmingham, the railway station was full of Burka clad women and men with long Islamic style beard. Just to dispel any doubt that I have nothing against Islamic attire and value system, in fact I have always been fascinated by certain aspect of Muslim society in India. My surprise was particularly about how a modern society like that of Britain failed to persuade the young Muslims to follow the British values. I was stuck by awe to see the profound influence of the Islamic value system on the young British Muslims who grew up in Britain and went to British Universities. As I said on several occasions that I have no issues with ethnic groups sticking to their religious rituals and traditions, but I am certainly concerned when a pluralistic nation fails to infuse the “melting pot” effect in people where people tend to embrace most of the core and common values a nation has while still retaining some of the uniqueness of their ethnicity. However if the conscious effort to preserve uniqueness of the ethnicity takes precedence over the national core and common value system, then it results in segregated, apartheid society.

Thanks
Kartik

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maddss123 posted 1 month ago

Dear Kartik

Long time no see, Yes I read about this....why on earth in England? I couldnot figureout the so called bastions of secularism are crubling. I presume Chief Justice of Britian is influenced by politicians from india!

thanks for reminding us its not just india but all these countries are in the race for appeasment.

Regards

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