Sharia Law in UK Is “Unavoidable”

Host nations often welcome new immigrants and attempt to accommodate cultural differences in many ways. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams takes that one step further: He suggests that some Muslims in the UK do not relate to the British legal system and adds that adopting parts of Islamic Sharia law, for example on marital or financial matters, may “help maintain social cohesion,” reports the BBC News. But establishing two or more sets of laws, based on religion, could lead to confusion or manipulation. For example, a divorced couple could easily argue about which law applied to their case. The UK now allows parties in a dispute to reach a settlement before a third party, as long as both sides agree on the process, the BBC reports. Legal systems evolve over time, and every new law creates a new set of winners and losers. Good intentions aside, multicultural systems of law with multiple tiers would weaken society. Most members of any society respect the rule of law when they know that it will be applied equally to all. – YaleGlobal