David Vance SubstackRead More
Any sensible person can surely see why Sharia courts are a creeping disaster for the United Kingdom. These so-called “councils” operate as a shadow justice system that threatens us all, and that includes Muslim women! They’ve mushroomed since the first one opened in the 1980s, and they thrive in a climate of political cowardice. We should NEVER have allowed them in the first place and it’s time we ended them.
You see whilst they claim to offer religious divorces or mediation, the reality is far uglier. Women often end up trapped in abusive marriages because these “judges”—almost always men—push mediation even when there’s domestic violence or worse.
Reports from groups like the Muslim Women’s Network and investigations by the BBC have all exposed cases where wives were told to be “patient” with husbands who raped them or beat them. Can you imagine what that must be like for a rape victim?
There was one case where a woman described being dismissed outright after a civil divorce, feeling like a “second-class citizen” in front of Sharia panels that ignored her English court protections. This is because discrimination is baked in. Under typical Sharia interpretations a woman’s testimony counts for half of a man’s. Husbands can divorce easily with a simple pronouncement, while wives face hurdles, fees, and pressure to hand over assets or custody. Inheritance often favours sons twice over daughters. All this proves that misogyny is core to Sharia Courts. The Labour Government drones on and on about misogyny so why are these courts allowed to flourish? Fear?
There’s a few other dodgy aspects. Child custody also defaults to fathers at certain ages, regardless of the child’s best interests—which directly clashes with British family law. Polygamy also gets a nod in some rulings, leaving women financially ruined and emotionally broken.
The bottom line is that none of this is harmless cultural stuff. It’s a parallel system that undermines one law for all. It has NO PLACE in the UK.
The very existence of these “courts: means that families can pressure women into accepting them with threats of ostracism, “honour-based” abuse, or being branded apostates. Refusal can mean social exile or worse. We know that Muslim communities enforce silence, and prosecution rates for “honour-based” violence are abysmal because victims withdraw under duress.
Back in 2018 a government review admitted discriminatory practices happen, yet it stopped short of real crackdowns. Young Muslim girls grow up seeing their mothers sidelined by dark ages rules while the state looks away, scared of “Islamophobia” labels.
The UK prides itself on equality under the law, yet here we have a growing network where gender apartheid flourishes. There should be zero tolerance of Sharia and every court must be closed. Asserting OUR laws is crucial but that requires political courage and at this point I am unsure it exists.
