The Rise of Sharia Councils in the UK: A Parallel Society Threatening Equality and Justice, By Richard Miller (Londonistan)

Julie Bindel's September 8, 2025, article in The Sun highlights the alarming proliferation of Sharia councils in the UK, with an estimated 85 operating as informal tribunals, primarily handling marriage and divorce disputes within Muslim communities. Described as a "parallel legal system," these councils, which lack legal authority under British law, undermine equality, particularly for women, and challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer's claim of no "two-tier justice." This discussion argues that the unchecked growth of Sharia councils, as evidenced by their discriminatory practices and cultural entrenchment, fosters parallel societies that threaten British legal principles and social cohesion, with lessons for Australia's multicultural policies. By examining the councils' impact on women's rights, their role in enabling "honour-based" abuse, and the broader implications for integration, it calls for urgent regulatory reform to uphold one law for all.

Sharia councils, first established in the UK in 1982, have grown to an estimated 85, according to a 2024 India Today report, making Britain the "Western capital" for such bodies. These councils, often led by male Islamic scholars, issue religious rulings on family matters, particularly Islamic divorces (talaq for men, khula for women) and inheritance. Unlike Jewish Beth Din courts, most Sharia councils operate outside the Arbitration Act of 1996, lacking oversight and legal accountability. A 2018 Home Office review noted their indeterminate number (30-85) and raised concerns about discriminatory practices, particularly against women seeking divorces.

These councils thrive due to demand from Muslim women needing religious divorces, as men can unilaterally end marriages by pronouncing "talaq" three times, while women require scholarly approval. A 2024 Times investigation revealed apps enabling Sharia-compliant wills, allowing men to select up to four wives and allocate daughters half the inheritance of sons, practices illegal under UK law. The councils also sanction "nikah mut'ah" (temporary "pleasure marriages"), which critics like Rahila Gupta of Southall Black Sisters argue exploit women by legitimising transient sexual arrangements. With over 100,000 unregistered Islamic marriages in the UK, these councils exert significant cultural influence, operating in a legal grey area.

Sharia councils often perpetuate patriarchal norms, undermining women's rights and contradicting British legal principles. Bindel cites cases where councils pressure women to reconcile with abusive husbands, ignoring domestic violence. A 2018 Home Office submission recounted a woman, Maryam, harassed by imams to return to a husband who sexually assaulted her, and another, Ayesha, denied a divorce despite her husband's violent attacks during pregnancy. The Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation (IKWRO) reports that councils consistently favour men, with clerics questioning women's behaviour to "provoke" abuse rather than reporting perpetrators to police.

"Honour-based" abuse, including forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM), is linked to these councils' influence. In 2024, UK police recorded 2,755 honour-based offences, including 201 forced marriages and 111 FGM cases, yet only two FGM prosecutions have occurred since 1985. Bindel suggests FGM may occur in private Harley Street clinics, evading enforcement due to cultural sensitivities. The councils' reluctance to engage with civil authorities, as noted in Bindel's research, exacerbates this, advising men to take anger management classes instead of facing legal consequences, thus enabling a cycle of abuse.

The proliferation of Sharia councils fosters parallel societies, where religious norms supersede national law, threatening social cohesion. A 2025 GB News report describes councils as a "shadow system" undermining British justice, with critics like Reform UK's Richard Tice warning of a "parallel legal system" that obstructs integration. The National Secular Society's Stephen Evans argues that councils "undermine the principle of one law for all," particularly impacting women and children. A 2018 Home Office review linked the councils' growth to a "lack of social and political integration," with practices like polygamy and unequal inheritance clashing with UK equality laws.

This parallels concerns in Germany, where Manuel Ostermann's censored post warned of Arab clans and Sharia law dominating by 2050, reflecting similar fears of cultural fragmentation. Australia faces analogous risks, with a 2024 Macrobusiness article noting high immigration (one million net migrants in 2022-2023) and cultural practices like FGM (1,200 cases) straining integration. The UK's experience, where 41% of Vienna's elementary students are Muslim and Arabic dominates in some schools, suggests a future where cultural enclaves erode national unity. In Australia, polls showing 54-77% support for lower immigration reflect public concern about similar fragmentation, as seen in 2025 protests.

Keir Starmer's denial of two-tier justice, echoed by Attorney General Lord Hermer's dismissal of such claims as "disgusting," is contradicted by the Sharia councils' unchecked operation. Bindel argues that their existence creates a de facto two-tier system, where Muslim women face discriminatory rulings outside civil protections. The 2018 Home Office review documented cases where councils condoned marital rape and forced marriages, practices condemned by the Casey Review as supporting extremist values. The lack of prosecution for FGM and forced marriage, despite thousands of cases, suggests authorities avoid intervention to sidestep accusations of Islamophobia, a concern Bindel faced after her 2007 grooming gang exposé.

This mirrors Australia, where Labor's migration policies, criticized by David Llewellyn-Smith as "gerrymandering" for electoral gain, avoid addressing cultural issues like forced marriage (10% rise since 2020) to maintain multicultural support. Both nations risk entrenching parallel systems by valuing political correctness over justice, as seen in the UK's tolerance of Sharia councils and Australia's asylum backlog (125,079 cases).

To address this, the UK must regulate or ban Sharia councils, as proposed by Baroness Cox's 2012 Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill, which sought to protect women from coerced rulings. The Muslim Women's Network's 2025 code of conduct, requiring councils to respect the Equality Act, is a step forward, but lacks enforcement. Australia should heed this, strengthening its 2024 Online Safety Act to prevent cultural practices from undermining legal equality while ensuring free speech, unlike the EU's DSA, which censored Ostermann.

Supporters, like Tracey Pook of Didsbury Central Mosque, argue Sharia councils provide voluntary religious guidance within British law, akin to Jewish Beth Din courts. However, the lack of oversight and documented abuse cases distinguish Sharia councils, with women pressured into compliance by community norms. Others claim banning councils would drive practices underground, as Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad warned. Yet, regulation, not prohibition, could ensure transparency while respecting religious freedom, balancing integration with rights.

The rise of 85 Sharia councils in the UK, as Bindel documents, creates parallel societies that undermine British justice and equality, particularly for Muslim women facing discriminatory rulings and honour-based abuse. Starmer's denial of two-tier justice ignores the councils' impact, from condoning abuse to enabling practices like FGM and polygamy. This threatens social cohesion, as seen in Germany and looming in Australia, where high immigration fuels similar concerns. Regulatory reform, inspired by Cox's bill and Australia's potential policy pivot, is urgent to uphold one law for all, ensuring justice and integration without sacrificing free debate.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/36624503/sharia-courts-starmer-two-tier-justice/