Women are suffering under sharia law in the UK, a Peer has warned, as she cautioned against getting trapped in a “labyrinth of inaction” on the issue.
Baroness Cox told the BBC’s Daily Politics show that she believes in the freedom of religion and belief, but that sharia law ‘inherently discriminates’.
Noting that some women are entering into polygamous marriages without realising, Lady Cox said women are being left “desperately unhappy”.
Restraint
Baroness Cox, a Patron of The Christian Institute, has introduced a Bill in Parliament to restrain the operation of sharia councils in England and Wales.
Appearing on the Daily Politics’ Soap Box feature, Lady Cox said: “We must not get caught in a labyrinth of inaction” over concerns about culture or political correctness.
She stated: “In Britain, for 800 years, since the signing of Magna Carta, we’ve had a fundamental commitment to the principle of one law for all and equality of access to that law, and that is now being undermined”.
Suffering
In September, a website was set up featuring powerful stories from women who have suffered under sharia law principles in Britain.
Equalandfree.org is supported by a range of organisations that work with those affected, and includes the story of one woman who says she “felt like a second class citizen” at a sharia council.
The Government said last year that it will launch an inquiry into sharia councils.