"Woodswun" <woodswun@tepidmail.com> wrote in message
news:lFmyd.87661$AL5.78474@twister.nyroc.rr.com...
In article <sm7yd.14778$GK5.1072621@news20.bellglobal.com>, "Jane"
<pushlinque@hotmail.com> wrote:
Dec. 21, 2004. 06:49 AM
ADVERTISEMENT<
BERNARD WEIL/TORONTO STAR
Tarek Fatah of the Muslim Canadian Congress talks to
reporters at Queen's Park yesterday, saying a proposal to allow the use
of
Islamic principles in resolving family disputes would hurt women.
STAR COLUMNISTS
Miro Cernetig
Graham Fraser
Richard Gwyn
Stephen Handelman
Chantal Hebert
James Travers
Ian Urquhart
Thomas Walkom
Report called 'betrayal' of women
Proposal backs use of Islamic principles in settling disputes
Ontario heading in 'dangerous direction,' opponents say
CAROLINE MALLAN
QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF
A proposal to allow the use of Islamic principles in settling
family
disputes in Ontario has been met with outrage by opponents of the plan.
Former NDP attorney-general Marion Boyd made the recommendation
yesterday in a 150-page report in which she also called for new
safeguards
to protect the rights of women.
But she ultimately concluded that "Muslim principles" should be
considered an acceptable method of religious arbitration as long as they
do
not violate Canadian law.
All parties involved have to agree to this, correct? I mean, you can't
have one
party accept it if the other party doesn't want to.
Boyd was asked by the provincial government to review the 1991
Arbitration Act and assess whether a plan by the Islamic Institute for
Civil
Justice to use the guiding principles of their faith in settling marital
and
inheritance disputes should be halted.
Catholics and Jews already have made use of the act, which is
intended
as a way of avoiding costly court fights when both parties to a dispute
agree to do so. A divorcing couple could use the act to decide on a
division
of property, for example.
Oy! Well, that certainly came back to bite them, didn't it? Not sure
about the
laws in Canada, but in the US if there's a precedent set like that, you
likely
wouldn't be able to discriminate against another religious group.
Yes, that is a problem. Some activists are hoping that fighting the sharia
tribunals will bring an end to ALL religious tribunals. Separation of
church and state is supposed to be the ideal.
Jane
Opponents were quick to condemn Boyd's report, calling it "naive"
and
a betrayal of women.
Marilou McPhedran, counsel for the Canadian Council of Muslim
Women,
labelled Boyd's report "naive" in its assumptions that Muslim women would
have the same choices as other women.
Unfortunately, that's evidently not the government's problem..
This certainly sucks - I'm sorry to hear it. :-(
Woods
.
