Muslims hail UK chief justice’s support for Shariah role in mediation

Leaders of a Muslim legal group have welcomed comments by Britain’s chief justice supporting a role for Sharia law in resolving disputes. The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips, said in a speech on Thursday that there was no question of Islamic law replacing English law, but “there is no reason why Sharia principles, or any other religious code, should not be the basis for mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution.” He said any application in civil cases would have to be consistent with British law, and that there was no possibility of Sharia courts imposing punishments. Shaykh Faiz Siddiqi, a barrister and chairman of the governing council of the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal, said Friday that critics of any use of Islamic law failed to recognize that both parties had to agree to any form of dispute resolution... [read full story]