chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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 Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 10:46 pm Post subject: Australia rejects Sharia Law |
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Australia rejects call for Islamic courts
AAP
February 08, 2008 04:29pm
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THE federal government has ruled out the introduction of Islamic courts in Australia, following debate triggered by the global head of the Anglican Church.
Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams said Muslims should to be able to resolve marital and financial disputes under Islamic courts, rather than the mainstream judicial system.
Dr Williams said in a radio interview in Britain that allowing Islamic Sharia law to operate in some circumstances could help improve social cohesion.
A similar proposal was put forward by Australian Muslim leaders to Howard government minister Peter McGauran in April 2005, but was rejected.
Australia's new attorney-general Robert McClelland today also ruled out the introduction of Sharia law in Australia.
"The Rudd government is not considering and will not consider the introduction of any part of Sharia law into the Australian legal system,'' Mr McClelland said.
Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson said everyone who comes to Australia should accept the existing laws.
"The idea that in some way you would change your basic values, culture and law to accommodate some people who feel that they don't want to see themselves as Australians first, above all else - under no circumstances would I support that,'' Dr Nelson said.
Yasser Soliman, who sits on the Victorian Multicultural Commission and is president of the Victorian Islamic Family and Childcare Agency, said there could be a role for Islamic courts, but Sharia law had to be clearly defined.
"It needs to be clarified and put down clearly on paper how it would run because everyone walking around has a different understanding of what Sharia means,'' Mr Soliman said.
He said, for example, that Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims would interpret Sharia law differently.
"It would have to be accepted by the wider community, as well as the Muslim community, because there has been quite a lot of injustice happening in recent times under the name of Sharia,'' he said.
Mr Soliman said Sharia law was not written down in stone but extracted and deduced from teachings in the Koran and what people agreed with among themselves.
"The idea is worth exploring but it is not worth adopting the first suggestion by one group which may be pushing for it - you have got to consult quite widely and it has to be optional for individuals,'' Mr Soliman said.
"I can see some potential applications in matters of family disputes, inheritance law and so on - that would be a win/win for the Muslim community and the wider community.''
Melbourne and Sydney have Jewish courts, or Beth Din, which rule on divorce, conversions and adoptions.
Bishop Robert Forsyth, spokesman for the Sydney Anglican diocese, said the move would lead to the "ghettoisation'' of the law in Australia.
"Once you have a society with different laws for different religions of the land you are creating no-go areas,'' Bishop Forsyth said.
"I don't want a country that has the ghettoisation of the law.
"We need the same law for all of us, even though we are different.''
He said those who came to Australia needed to accept the law of the land.
"You are welcome, but you are welcome to this country on these fundamental terms - the terms are rule of law and secular state.
"I don't care if you don't like cricket or not, but you don't come and say, 'I want this to be a theocratic state'.'' |
I seem to recall Europe having centuries of bloody fighting, purges, & pograms, before everyone finally agreed on separation of powers, between Church & State. It appears that common sense has prevailed in this case. Just noticed this thread topic, on the UK, too:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=112937&highlight= |
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