theaustralian.com:
THE prospect of divorce cases in Britain being settled by sharia and religious courts has been opened up by a landmark legal decision.
A Jewish couple have had their divorce settlement under beth din (rabbinical law) approved by the British High Court – a first in British legal history.
Lawyers said the judgment could clear the way for other couples to seek a divorce in a religious court. The decision was welcomed by the Muslim Council of Britain. A spokesman said: “If it leads to the eventual acceptance of sharia court divorces then Muslims will be very encouraged.”
Judge Jonathan Baker cited the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and his lecture on sharia in 2008, in which he said that “citizenship in a secular society should not necessitate the abandoning of religious discipline”.
Categories: Court Ruling, Europe, Interfaith tolerance, Religion, Sharia, UK