Canadians Allow Islamic Courts to Decide Disputes

In Ontario, Canada, Muslims can now choose to decide civil disputes under sharia, a form of Islamic law. Practitioners may agree to arbitration in tribunals separate from the Canadian judicial system, run by imams and Muslim elders. The power of these courts would be limited, and the Canadian government reserves the right to overturn decisions. The idea for establishing sharia in Canada came from within the Somalian refugee population, largely Muslim. Leaders in the religious community discovered a precedent for arbitration by religious law in the Jewish courts of Canada, which serve roughly the same function as sharia courts and have been in place for centuries. Promoters of sharia claim that non-consenting parties would not be forced to participate in sharia arbitration, but some critics point out that pressures within the religious community could force individuals to consent against their will. The question of consent has also been controversial in Nigeria, where the Nigerian central government struggles to protect the rights of non-Muslims and dissenting practitioners in sharia states, while maintaining national unity. Because sharia has been accepted so quickly in Canada, some experts question whether the implications of the law are fully understood. – YaleGlobal