An MEP has spoken out in support of a Bill aimed at tackling controversial Sharia courts in Britain.
Paul Nuttall, says he supports Baroness Cox’s Private Members’ Bill to curb the courts that back polygamy and discrimination against women.
He said: “Baroness Cox is very concerned about the growth in influence of the 85 Sharia courts in the UK and I think she is a very brave lady to put her head above the parapet on this controversial subject.”
Pressure
Currently in Britain, Sharia councils are operating their own legal systems which put Muslim women under pressure to stay in abusive marriages.
Mr Nuttall, Deputy Leader of UKIP, said: “I applaud Baroness Cox on her determination in following through on this issue which is not an easy thing to do in these politically correct times.”
He added: “She is anxious that there should not be two concurrent legal systems operating in this country and is particularly concerned that women should not be discriminated against”.
Investigate
The BBC has recently investigated the issue.
It looked at Leyton Islamic Sharia Council, in East London, and sent an undercover reporter there with a story about an abusive husband.
An Islamic scholar at the Council, Dr Suhaib Hasan said the reporter should only go to the Police as a “very very last resort”.
Enough
The programme was due to air last week, but was postponed following the death of Lady Thatcher.
Commenting on the issue, Baroness Cox warned: “It is time to draw a line in the sand and say ‘enough is enough’.”
She also said the system is causing women to suffer, and is “utterly incompatible with our country’s values”.
Her Bill, entitled “The Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill” has been debated in the House of Lords.