A man with a very nice voice & a delicious north east (England) accent called (I think) Ibrahim, gave a very nice (in the original sense of the word) & gentle put down to Victoria Derbyshire in her radio phone-in programme this morning. She had just confessed her inability to understand a clip from the Archbishop of Canterburys lecture on the incorporation of some aspects of sharia into British law
A highly intellectual reasonable man needs some kind of an interpreter or bridge, he said, to translate his argument for those who react with emotion & fear. If someone in her position felt unable to do that, then who could?
Actually that Radio5 morning phone-in encourages me to believe that things are not nearly as bad as are sometimes made out. Large numbers of Muslims, of all shades of opinion, feel free to join in the debates, & not necessarily only on such obviously ‘Muslim’ subjects
One would think, by the reactions, that British law makes no concessions to religious authority at all. But of course it does & always has done, though not always without a bloody battle or two along the way
I got married in a Roman Catholic church. The religious ceremony had to be supplemented by a civil one to make us married in the eyes of the law as well as those of God. If the priest had not been suitably registered with the authorities then a civil registrar would have had to attend to make a properly honest woman of me
When it comes to divorce the Pope – a foreigner! - still plays a part in dissolving the bonds between Roman Catholic partners, almost as if Henry VIII had never been
Petticoat Lane market used to be world famous for being allowed to open on Sunday to accommodate the Jewish traders, despite the laws on Lords Day Observance
Even between Protestant sects there were bitter battles in the C19th. Over the right of Dissenters to have a university education, to be judges or MPs or to hold other public offices. To be free of the need to pay rates to the Church of England & to have non-sectarian state funded education for their children
I am not suggesting it will be easy, but I for one would welcome some real enlightenment about what exactly are the problems & possible compromises to be made with Sharia law
When it comes to private disputes, British citizens are free to settle them according to any rules they like, or by the decision of anyone they choose. The Law only comes into it when they can not agree, or a third party (with a legitimate interest) complains, or the state, in the person of the Crown, decides to prosecute
Related post: Known unknowns
