Are Sharia councils failing vulnerable women?
BBC Panorama has uncovered fresh evidence of how some Sharia councils in Britain may be putting Muslim women "at risk" by pressuring them to stay in abusive marriages.
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In Leeds I met Sonia, a woman who suffered extreme violence from her husband, who punched and kicked her and threw her down the stairs. He also hit their son. When Sonia got a civil divorce, the courts would allow him only indirect access to the children.
Sharia courts are not allowed to interfere in child access matters, but when Sonia went to Leyton Islamic Sharia Council for a Sharia divorce, they told her she would have to give the children up to her husband.
"I couldn't bear the thought of such a violent person having my children," said Sonia.
"What was shocking was when I explained to them why he shouldn't have that access to the children, their reaction was - well, you can't go against what Islam says."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22044724
Panorama: Secrets of Britain's Sharia Councils will be proadcase on Monday 8 April 2013.
Disgusting. Where are people meant to go for help, if they do this?
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
I haven't watched the entire documentary but i came across the small video at an earlier time in the day. A couple of months back i remember coming across an article about non-Muslims going to these Shariah councils too to get advice. If i'm honest, i didn't actually think there was anything wrong with the advice that that man was giving to the lady. I thought his advice was pretty good, infact and he was actually trying to help her out!
He clearly asked her if she was being beaten severly or getting bruised and she replied by saying something along the lines of, he hites me and it hurts. She didn't explain herself properly. If she really felt like she was being domestically abused and it was going too far she should've said that explicitly to him. Hitting could imply the sort that happens in sibling-rivalry and that's actually not too bad. It could be anything for all we know!
Even though he did say that going to the police should be a last resort, he 'clearly' mentioned that if her husband is getting too aggressive and if her husband begins to punch her then she should definitely go to the police right away because that isn't allowed at all. I liked how he said that she should question her husband about his doings and why he hits her. That seemed like a practical solution. Girl Powerrr.
When he talked about having to live in a refuge i didn't think he was trying to persuade her not to opt for a divorce, but rather he was shining some light on the reality that she might have to face. It slips out of people's mind because they're trying they're best to get away! Sometimes people forget what lies ahead and he was just reminding her. That's the the way i saw it anyway.
Don't get me wrong, i'm totally against domestic abuse and i hope that none of us have to face that whether we're single and hoping to get married in the future or we're already in a marriage and completing half our deen, but all that that man was doing was trying to reconcile that marriage and see if there was any hope in it to continue peacefully. You can't just dish out divorces as and when you like!
So, what's so disgusting about it? I'm failing to see that side to it. He was trying to help her out afterall and that's one of the reasons why she went there. I read the article and paragraphs underneath the video and i was just surprised at how good the media are at twisting words around to make it seem extremely serious and 'wrong'. o.O
She was asked if she was being beaten and she replied that she is hit and it hurts, putting things into context that doesn't sound like they're just play fighting. I don't think it needed to be clearer :S
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
If i was some judge in Shariah law, i'd want to know the EXACT details.
(How can you think it's just sibling-like thing though, considering the specific question asked?)
So if you were the judge it would be your job to ask more questions in that case, instead of letting it be.
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
Okay, you can't compare it to that, but what IS hitting that hurts? It could just be a little slap - that still hurts don't it? I'm glad im not in the position to know what a hit that hurts feels like. & I agree i'd ask more questions. That's what that man did. He did ask. She didn't make it out that it was SO severe.
There will probably be more context when the full programme airs tomorrow.
It may be an exercise in smearing them.
Shariah Councils probably know that they will be in the spotlight and therefore they need to be whiter than white and that may mean extra qualifications that are not strictly of a religious nature so that they can come across as caring and deal with issued in detail.
Even then there will be due process, so asking her to come back in a month could potentially have some reasons behind it, but in the context where the woman has already received a divorce through the courts, it probably is not necessary.
On the issue of the woman seeking an "Islamic" divorce after receiving a "civil" divorce... and having to go through them. Isn't a divorce a divorce? Something so strict in Islam that even pretending to be divorced is a divorce.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Never knew that! Are you sure? If that's the case then it'd make sense that the civil divorce is sufficient.
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi