Friday, June 14, 2013

German Courts Begin Ruling by Using Sharia Law; Judges Use Islamic Law If One on Trial Is Muslim

An appeals court in northwestern Germany has decided a contentious divorce case based on Islamic Sharia law, the Clarion Project website reports today (June 14, 2013).

The ruling is the latest in a growing number of court cases in Germany in which judges refer or defer to Islamic law because either the plaintiffs or the defendants are Muslim.

Critics say the cases -- especially those in which German law has taken a back seat to Sharia law -- reflect a dangerous encroachment of Islamic law into the German legal system and set a bad precedent.

In the latest case, the Appeals Court in Hamm -- a city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia -- ruled on June 2 that whoever marries according to Islamic law in a Muslim country and later seeks a divorce in Germany must abide by the original terms set forth by Sharia law.

No comments:

Post a Comment