August 13, 2009

Under the Sharia Law

In case you were in doubt as to whether or not the world is a village, you should pay attention to this post. The author, who is a regular contributor of Wind Rose Hotel, is an Anglo-Scottish artist living in France (and speaking a little Italian) who happened to be on vacation in Italy last July. During his time over here he used to be a regular reader of the Corriere della Sera newspaper, in which on July 23 he happened to read a sharply critical article (in Italian) about the fact that, for the sake of multicultural integration and “with the incredible support of the seemingly unenlightened Archbishop of Canterbury and the Supreme Judicial Authorities of England,” the application of the Sharia as a parallel institution of law had been authorized in Great Britain some months ago (at least 85 Islamic sharia courts are already operating in Britain).

In his post Mirino wonders “if the legal authorities of Great Britain ever took time out to fully inform themselves of what Sharia law consists of.” This, in Mirino’s opinion, “applies equally to Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Shouldn’t he be more supportive towards the principles of the religion he’s supposed to represent, and less concerned by pre-medieval Islamic laws that seem more prone to advocate intolerance?”

There is no need to say that I strongly agree with him. If it’s not already “too late,” he concludes,

to prohibit the application of Sharia law in Great Britain, and to encourage Muslims who wish to live according to Islamic law and Islamic values to return to where these are naturally more fully adhered to and respected, then it would seem primordial to do so without delay.

It could otherwise be that certain eminent, Right Honourable, robed, wigged, absent-minded and short-sighted lords of British justice have inadvertently lit the fuse to an Islamic time bomb destined to be more explosive than anything since the signing of the Magna Carta.

In the meantime it would be useful to know that more and more non-Muslims in Britain are going to Sharia court seeking judgment for legal matters. Of course critics are worrying that, by accepting Sharia courts as a convenience, the British public is clearing the way for the greater infiltration of Islamic law into their system, irrevocably changing it.. No need to say that I agree with them.