Canadians Allow Islamic Courts To Decide Disputes

W Post ^ | April 28, 2004 | DeNeen L. Brown

[swilhelm73]

Almad and thousands of other Muslims, taking advantage of a provision of the law in the province of Ontario, can now decide some civil disputes under sharia, including family disagreements and inheritance, business and divorce issues, using tribunals that include imams, Muslim elders and lawyers. While it is less than full implementation of sharia, local leaders consider it a significant step.

Muslim promoters of sharia arbitration said that no cases had been decided but that the process is set. Islamic leaders created an Islamic Court of Civil Justice last fall and that organization, in turn, has chosen arbitrators, who have undergone training in sharia and Canadian civil law, according to organizers and participants.

[Clara Lou]

Foot in the door.

[TomGuy]

Coming soon to Detriot and a city near you.

[JeeperFreeper]

This the Dems cannot embrace cuz the trial lawyers will kill them.

[Spirited]

A double set of laws....heaven, help us.

[Militiaman7]

Goodbye Canada it's been nice knowing you.

Note to President Bush and Congress: Fortify our border with Canada.

[BadAndy]

Multiple sets of laws for multiple ethnic groups is a big mistake. I knew Canukians were naive and non-confronational, but I didn't think they were crazy. Opps, I forgot about Quebec...

[Mike Darancette]

Some sort of mutually agreed to mediation - I have no problem with that.

[dodger]

This is awful and America is not immune what with the US Supreme Court beginning to -- unconstitutionally -- reference precedents in other countries (as urged by the Dean of the Yale Law School among others). I am amazed at how little an issue has been made of this bizarre trend in the USSC. Sharia, here we come ....

[Dr. Marten]

Ever heard of bleeding to death by paper cuts?....

[Sender]

Here ya go: The Muslim Court of Arbitration

[vpintheak]

Say goodbye to Canada, our one time ally. Say hello to Canadistan. The land of brownshirts, jackboots and burka's. I'm glad we got hockey out of you before you died.

[Sender]

Yes death by a thousand cuts is what is happening. First Muslims immigrate into a country and put down roots. Then they fight to have 'unquestionable' Muslim practices accepted as law such as wearing the hijab, etc. Then we get to the real Twinkie...shari'a law.

Because Islam does not separate church and state, and in fact embraces their union, true Muslims must live by and be judged by shari'a law and not by any western principles. So here we are at the tipping point in Canada, and in quite a few European countries as well. When religion and law are one, their religion becomes our law. If we let it happen.

[swarthyguy]

Chuckle.

Are they going to become like us, or us like them?

[Hessian]

More like the camel's nose in the tent......

[Rocky]

"Foot in the door."

Camel's nose under the tent.

[Lurking Libertarian]

This is a voluntary system of arbitration, which applies only if both parties agree. It would be equally enforceable under U.S. law. For decades, Orthodox Jews have voluntarilly been submitting disputes to Rabbinic courts rather than litigating in the secular court system, and the decisions of those Rabbinic courts have been held to be enforceable under the Uniform Arbitration Act. This is (legally) indistinguishable.

[Washington1980]

Do not give the devil an inch. Canada, Canada you don't know what you are doing.

[Oatka]

This is a voluntary system of arbitration, which applies only if both parties agree.

What about "peer" pressure?

From the article: "Although advocates of the sharia process stressed that participation in the tribunal process would be voluntary, some critics expressed concern that many Muslims would be labeled disobedient if they refused participation in such sharia-based arbitrations.

"If I am a woman of faith, and the community of people who see themselves as leaders say that if I do not follow the sharia court here, the Islamic Institute, then I will be tantamount to blasphemy and apostasy," Hogben said in a debate shown on Canadian television. "And you know that in some countries, apostasy means death sentence."

[Washington1980]

The devil is singing a song, and the people dance.