Protesters Picket Britain's Law Society Over Sharia Implementation

Protesters picketed Britain’s Law Society last night after it was revealed that the group has taken a step towards assisting the implementation of Sharia law in Britain. Last month the Law Society issued guidance on Sharia wills, now it is offering a training course on the subject.

The group “One Law for All” organised the picket, and around 60 protesters held up banners including “One Secular Law for All” and “All Should Be Equal in the Law”. The protestors last night expressed concerns that, for the first time, a major legal body is giving credibility to rules that justify discrimination against women and ‘illegitimate children’.

One protester told the group: “We have to be clear that we are not anti-Muslim, it is Muslim women who suffer the most under Sharia. But people should be equal in the eyes of the law. 

“Everyone has a right to leave money to whomever they want but there is a big difference between leaving money to a man and leaving it because he’s a man.”

Under Sharia law the testimony of women is counted as half as worthy as that of a man. Child custody is always given to the father no matter what the circumstances, and domestic violence against women is permitted.

Islamic rules on inheritance include the requirement to give a son twice as much as a daughter. Adopted and illegitimate children are not entitled to inherit anything nor are non-believers.

The Law Society is the body that all solicitors have to join if they want to practise in England and Wales. Even though it is not part of the state it does appear in this case to be making policy without the approval of the government. 

One Law for All issued a statement saying: “The fight against Sharia is clearly a defence of individual rights and freedoms, not an attack on Muslims. After all, Sharia Law is fundamentally the demand of Islamic states and the political movement to limit citizens’ rights.”