–Europe's Tolerance May Soon End
 

Last thing west needs is Sharia 'justice'
Christine Whitaker, Special to The Leader-Post

The recent musings of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, caused a furore in the UK so intense that it reverberated throughout Europe and even as far as Canada.

It all started when this misguided cleric suggested that, because many immigrants do not relate to the British legal system, some civil aspects of Sharia law should be adopted in Britain. This, he believes, would help to create social cohesion, because Muslims should not have to choose between the "stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty".

The result was a backlash of epic proportions. Hundreds of outraged citizens phoned in to talk shows and Anglican clergy called for the Archbishop's resignation.

Condemnation was swift from both government and opposition politicians, including two Muslim MPs. One was quoted as asking: "What part of Sharia law does he want? The sort that is practiced in

Saudi Arabia? Muslims do not need special treatment." Another said that he has "not experienced any clamour or fervent desire for Sharia law in this country". He further remarked that those who wish to live under such a law should move to a country where it is practiced.

A respected Islamic scholar at Cambridge University cautioned that the introduction of such laws would undermine the rights of Muslim women and would fuel extremism.

Unfortunately, not all high-profile British Muslims hold this view. One radical cleric made the disturbing statement that Sharia has been promised by the Prophet Mohammed. It will come, he said, either by embracing Islam, which is the fastest-growing religion in the nation, or by an Islamic country conquering Britain.

The most appalling aspect of this story is that any western leader of the stature of the Archbishop should be naive enough to believe that the introduction of any aspect of Sharia law will promote social cohesion. On the contrary, it would undermine the basic concept of equality under the law.

The archbishop's idea is that Sharia law would apply to civil matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance. This is the concept of multiculturalism gone mad, and would be the thin end of the wedge.

Slowly but surely, over time, even penal aspects of this system would creep into British law, and would eventually apply to all citizens, not only to those who subscribe to the Islamic faith. If this ever occurs in Britain, it will most certainly spread to other western countries, including our own.

The women of my generation, who were born in a western country in the 20th century, have enjoyed the right to an education; to pursue our own careers; to own property; to dress as we please; to participate in the political process, and to choose our own marriage partners. Many of us were also fortunate enough to have enlightened fathers who encouraged us to think for ourselves.

Every immigrant to any western country should be automatically entitled to those same rights, regardless of religious or cultural beliefs, and nobody should be enabled to deny them to others.

Any introduction of Sharia laws would put us back two centuries, to a time when women were not permitted to vote; when their fathers chose their husbands; when, upon marriage, they lost control of any money or property they had owned. Even if widowed, they were frequently not allowed to manage their own affairs. More often than not, they were expected to return to their father's house.

People of influence should think carefully before making statements about matters they do not fully understand. The archbishop should make a pilgrimage to the statue of Emily Pankhurst near the House of Commons. He should ask himself why the suffragettes chained themselves to railings and suffered the indignities of imprisonment and force-feeding at the hands of those who believed that women should always be subservient to men.

It is utterly unthinkable that there could be even a remote possibility of a reversal of the rights won by those courageous ladies. The women of Britain, and indeed of the whole western world, owe it to our daughters and grand-daughters to ensure that this is never allowed to happen -- even if we have to chain ourselves to the railings outside the Parliament buildings