The `Legal Pluralism` of Shari'ah Judicial Courts for Cultural Islam 'n' that

* Linky Link
* More on Shari`ah Law
* Bias unfairly represented Radio 4 programme that caused the debate
On the value of faces, the concept of peoples in one Western nation being governed by one of two judicial systems seems farsicle. It also seems infuriating that the cultural law of a religious minority would excempt them from the governing legalities and judiciaries of their country of residence.

It's tempting to say `if they don't like it here they should go back to their own countries` but although there's probably more sense in that statement than tact I doubt it's the most constructive solution .

The main issue with Shar'ah law being introduced as a parallel to the British courts is that it undermines the main court system of the land. If you break a law of this country, you will receive a fair and similar sentence to another perpetrator before with similar convictions. To undermine the integrity of that principle is to undermine the very fabric on which our society is based.

Reading the Quran, it seems to be based on the assumption that Islam is the law of the land (and if not the religion should be `spread by the sword` Quran 9:5, 9:25) so by mere virtue of the culture of their texts Islam must be opposed to multiculturalism, cultural integration, religious tolerance and all the rest of the BBC's trendy neologisms. I'm not intolerant of other religions at all (and I'm even a Christian so I should obect to everything!) but I do think there should be a finite level of unWestern anti-democracy the Home Office should be affording in the name of Political Correctness. Otherwise Britain will become less of an iconic haven of freedom and human rights and more of a door mat to pseudo-extremism without the bottle to live up to its reputation of freedom.

But that's beside the point. I understand the bottom-of-the-barrell case studies the BBC found for supporting legal pluralism and of course I beleive we, as a nation, should allow these make-believe courts the liberty to function within their own little cliques. But to have these recognised by the state or the course of justice is a perversion and an another unfair bias against the white English moderates who, not having the advantage of foreign religious minority status loose out on another of the fruits of multi-culturalism.

I'm not denying absolution for the Islamic minorities at all, but I am saying that as a *free* nation, it's our obligation to defend equality by having an inclusive but singular legal system that isn't undermined by a religious consumerism that picks and chooses the course of justice that happens to suit the defendant.