I have no problem with anybody submitting to a religious tribunal, as long as they do so by choice, and all parties are voluntarily submitting to that judgment.
This would, obviously, apply to civil complaints only - because criminal cases would have to be subject to the law, not a religious tribunal.
However - I would be OK with a defendant in a criminal charge agreeing to a religious tribunal and punishment - as long as the punishment was not lighter than that decreed by law.
They are calling themselves judges, claiming to have been schooled in law at such and such place, doing the hearings in law offices. Is this a legally recognized practice in this state? Can they legally practice law here?
The court uses a conference room in a northeast Dallas law office, where one of the judges works. During a visit there, that judge, Taher el-Badawi, said the tribunal has settled about two dozen cases, mostly of divorcing couples.
“Our community really needs an Islamic tribunal to solve problems,” he said. “And we save money and save time for all the community.”
... El-Badawi has a law degree from his native Egypt and a master’s in international law from Southern Methodist University. The two other judges are Lebanon-born Imam Moujahed Bakhach of the Islamic Association of Tarrant County, and Pakistan-born, British-raised Imam Zia ul-Haque Sheikh of the Islamic Center of Irving.
Their website — Islamictribunal.org — says: “Experienced judges ready to fight for you,” and “Great advisors solve problems.”