Islamic Shariah could be used in UK’s legal system: Lord Phillips

Saturday, July 5, 2008 at 9:54 pm

LONDON: The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lord Phillips, has said that the United Kingdom may introduce the principles of Islamic Sharia law into some aspects of its legal system.

According to an Arab TV channel Lord Phillips, the most senior judge in England and Wales, said there was no reason Sharia law principles could not be used in mediation.
However, he said this would still be subject to the “jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.”

Sharia is a set of principles that governs the way many Muslims believe they should live their lives. In a speech at the East London Muslim Centre in Whitechapel, Lord Phillips said that Sharia suffered from “widespread misunderstanding.” He said, “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. It must be recognised, however, that any sanctions for a failure to comply with the agreed terms of mediation would be drawn from the laws of England and Wales.”

Severe physical punishments such as flogging, stoning and the cutting off of hands would not be acceptable, he said.