Baroness Cox has called for a judge-led shari’a inquiry into courts, in a report issued at the end of March which looked at discrimination against UK Muslim women.
She outlined the provisions of her Private Member’s Bill, which would curb the growth of quasi-legal systems, such as shari’a courts, in England and Wales.
Published by conservative think-tank The Bow Group, the report refers to shari’a court policies on inheritance, polygamy, access to divorce and domestic violence that have adversely affected British Muslim women. It includes testimonies from women who have been subjected to various forms of abuse, including one woman who said: ‘I feel betrayed by Britain. I came here to get away from this and the situation is worse here than in the country I escaped from.’ Many Muslim women can be unaware of their legal rights or feel under pressure not to seek professional help.
