Sharia law move quashed in Canada

BBC News ^ | Monday, 12 September 2005

[F14 Pilot]

The head of Canada's Ontario province has rejected attempts to allow Muslims to use Sharia law in family disputes. A report by Ontario's former attorney general Marion Boyd had recommended the use of Islamic law to settle issues such as divorce and child custody.

But Premier Dalton McGuinty ruled against the move, saying there should be "one law for all Ontarians".

Protests were held against the Sharia law proposal in major Canadian cities, as well as in Paris, London and Vienna.

Critics said allowing Islamic tribunals could lead to discrimination against women.

'Common ground'

If the recommendation had been accepted, Ontario would have become the first Western jurisdiction to allow the use of Sharia.

Mr McGuinty said he would introduce "as soon as possible" a law banning all religious arbitration in the province.

Ontario has allowed Catholic and Jewish faith-based tribunals to resolve family disputes on a voluntary basis since 1991.

Mr McGuinty, who had been studying Ms Boyd's report since last December, said he was concerned religious family courts could "threaten our common ground".

He told the Canadian Press news agency: "There will be no Sharia law in Ontario. There will be no religious arbitration in Ontario. There will be one law for all Ontarians."

'Loud and clear'

Women's rights activist Homa Ar-Jomand, who helped organise the rallies last Thursday, said she was delighted by the decision.

"I think our voice got heard loud and clear, and I thank the government for coming out with no faith-based arbitrations.

"That was the best news I've heard for the past five years," she said.

According to the latest census in 2001, about 600,000 Muslims live in Canada.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

A huge blow the the BBC and liberals everywhere.

[Jalapeno]

No, the fact that it was seriously considered is scary enough.

[The Red Zone]

But Premier Dalton McGuinty ruled against the move, saying there should be "one law for all Ontarians".

Awwwww, sharia and sharia alike.

[The Red Zone]

Oh waitaminnit, read the whole story. The Catholic and Jewish councils got chucked out on their ear too.

[FreedomPoster]

The fact that this was seriously considered at all, does not reflect well on our neighbors.

[GMMAC]

Oddly most on FR either don't see or refuse to see the real dynamic as to what has occurred here:

Virtually the entire opposition to allowing Muslims to have their own family law tribunals came from radical feminists and their ultra left allies. The exact same vehemently anti Faith and family crowd who pushed for gay 'marriage'.

Together with the msm, they shamelessly misrepresented what the Muslims were asking for: civil - not criminal - law bodies, open to the Faithful on a voluntary basis only and completely subservient to Canadian Human Rights Statutes.
In short, exactly what Jews, Catholics and several other Christian Churches had already enjoyed for many years - no more, no less.

The left now has precisely what it wanted all along: the outlawing of all Faith-based pro-family alternatives to it's openly corrupt and gender bigoted anti-family Courts.

Plus, it's typical of a slimy, politically correct hypocrite like Dalton McGuinty that he both made his little announcement mid-Sunday when there would be little immediate reaction and on 9/11 when he could conveniently ride on the public's legitimate opposition to Islamofascism.

[binreadin]

And what exactly would be considered voluntary status in a household which follows a religion that tolerates honor killings?

[American in Israel]

Sharia Law in family "disputes" means a lot of women's throats cut and axe murders. It kinda clashes with the liberal image of Canada. It is a problem trying to be a little too diverse ya know. One mans sister is another brothers "honor" killing victim.

You know, the dark ages is something we walked out of to create civilisation, why the headlong rush to return to it in the name of "diversity"?

[Bogolyubski]

A tip of the hat to you for being one of the few folks to notice this little coup for the feminists and their leftist allies. The amateur totalitarians now running Canada have planted the seeds of their own destruction, however. Worshipping at diversity's altar, they still have wide open immigration from the Islamic world. It's only a matter of time before Sharia is the law - both criminal and civil - in the wretched leftist-run gulag of Kanuckistan - by vote of the Islamic majority.

The Canadian leftists deserve Sharia, and Feminists deserve it most of all. I hope it comes upon them soon in full fury. McGuinty can end his days as a pathetic foot-shuffing dhimmi to the local Grand Mufti or Vizier.

[F14 Pilot]

The Canadian leftists deserve Sharia, and Feminists deserve it most of all.

[GMMAC]

The word "Sharia" was used by Marxist cadres and their fellow travelers in our ultra-liberal msm to whip up a knowingly false and hysterical campaign against what was, in reality, a very modest request by moderate Muslims.

To this end, they blurred the difference between civil and criminal law and routinely employed extreme and ridiculous analogies not unlike using the Spanish Inquisition or the alleged "Protocols of The Elders of Zion" to typify similar Catholic and Jewish entities. Given that all religions' arbitration bodies are both voluntary and fully subservient to Human Rights Laws, McGuinty's disingenuous 'one law for all' nonsense could be just as easily applied to condo boards!

Based upon history to date, anyone who thinks an alliance of liberal politicos and anti Faith and family Marxist troublemakers is about to take a legitimate tough stand against authentic Islamofascism is kidding themselves. In fact, these are the very same people who routinely do all within their power to frustrate anti-terrorist efforts!

Judge the action by its obvious result: more discrimination against devout Christians and Jews, a step forward in the left's on-going campaign against Faith and family and more blood money for its allies within the - now de facto monopolistic - 'family injustice industry'!

Plus note that, with the qualifier that government should quite reasonably be extra vigilant based upon the known actions and beliefs of 'some' Muslims, Ontario's Jewish, Catholic and various other Christian Churches supported the Muslims' request provided that it amounted to "no more, no less" than the freedom which their own family arbitration bodies already enjoyed. Flame away but, I concur with the position of my Catholic Church.

[Piranha]

There's already a thread about Ontario's new anti-religion regulations at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1482585/posts.

I hadn't thought out the implications of this new law as leftist anti-family dogma, but on reflection I agree that your insights are right on the money.

[infowarrior]

Flame away but, I concur with the position of my Catholic Church.

Not going to flame you at all. There's much truth in your assessment of the real situation. OTOH, those who ask "How voluntary would it have been, considering the 'honor killing' culture," likewise have a point. Nothing in this world is ever really cut-and-dried...

the infowarrior

[American in Israel]

No flame necessary, I do not get offended by people that are not "cued in" to what the Muslims are up to. It is very hard for civilized human beings to even grasp the levels of depravity that Islam fosters on its subjects. I happen to live with a million and a half of the worst ones, so my views are necessarily jaded, it is a survival trait. Granting Muslims freedom to their own independant law structure will not bring freedom to Christians and Jews, it just furthers the cause to slaughter them. Sharia law consists of the cute examples of Allah's mercy such as chopping off hands for thieves and being required to cut your own family members throats for insults like their Muslim daughters meeting with Christians and Jews or wearing makeup.

Sharia is barbaric, stone age oppression, and has no place in a modern society. If they want Sharia law so bad, let them return to Arabia where such bloodletting is a part of such a barberous society.>BR>
As Jews and Christians do not demand a special set of laws to exist within a society, granting Sharia laws to enable local Imams the right to dismember people will not affect other believers in any way other than to grant Satanists the right to practice human sacrifice, a strangly similar sect. (Despite what certain clueless "Fathers of the Faith" may say. Frankly, giving Muslims the right to have their own law structure in any society in history has allowed them to kill loot and rape the infidels with impunity as under Sharia law, no non Muslim may testify against a Muslim. As any Muslim can kill or rape and then claim justice under Sharia law, Muslims become beyond the law, if the looting and raping is applied strictly to Christians and Jews. That is why granting Sharia Law to Muslims in Canada is simply suicide for Canadians. Just the Facts...

[GMMAC]

""How voluntary would it have been, considering the 'honor killing' culture," likewise have a point. Nothing in this world is ever really cut-and-dried...
- the infowarrior"

Setting aside - at least currently - remote and unlikely solutions like mass deportations, and acknowledging that Jewish and Christian leaders properly stated that proposed Muslim bodies should logically be monitored very closely with respect to possible violations of accepted human rights, mainstream society can't have it both ways: criticizing 'moderate' Muslims for not 'fitting in' while simultaneously marginalizing them by denying them something allowed other Faiths.

It's unfortunate that more FReepers couldn't have watched this dynamic unfold close up: Christian conservatives were almost universal in supporting cautious acceptance while local Islamofascist types were, not unexpectedly, quite plainly in bed with their friends and apologists on the far left.

[GMMAC]

"Just the Facts..."

With all due respect and while acknowledging and respecting your first hand experiences, what you've presented are not 'the facts' as they exist in Ontario Canada.

Local Rabbis and Catholic Bishops and Clergy were especially "cued in" to what Muslims were asking for and what they weren't: Exactly the religious freedom they enjoyed - open to the faithful on a wholly voluntary basis and subject to Human Rights Laws - and nothing more or less.

While doubtless far more well intended, your post reads like the distortions and half truths we heard continually from the radical left. You've used examples of extreme applications of criminal law - when this was always solely a civil law proposal - and claimed Muslims were seeking "... their own independent law structure ..." when at no time was it suggested that same wouldn't be totally subservient to higher national and provincial statutes.

Bottom line: the radical left now has victories over Faith and families in the outlawing of other Religious Tribunals as well as in the effective monopoly granted to the 'family injustice industry' legalist vermin and extremist Islamofacists now have added supposed 'evidence' to cite to any of their more 'moderate' co-religionists - as they always intended to - of overt anti-Muslim discrimination.

People can say whatever they want but, to me, these direct results speak for themselves.

[Antoninus]

Actually, considering the butt-sex marriage situation in Canada, Sharia might actually be a step up for them...

[GMMAC]

"Actually, considering the butt-sex marriage situation in Canada, Sharia might actually be a step up for them..."

Ironically(?), in most cases the same radical special interest groups which pushed for same-sex 'marriage' are totally opposed to any alternatives - Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, whatever - to Ontario's openly corrupt and gender-bigoted so-called 'family' Courts.

Observe one of these relentlessly pro feminist and homosexual and anti Faith and conventional families 'institutions' in action and you'll likely see - at least limited - Sharia as a marked improvement.