« Dr. Phil To Do Show on Natalee Holloway | Main | Down but not out: Signs of renewed life in New Orleans »

September 11, 2005

Ontario Rejects Shari'a

Topics: War on Terror - the issues.

There will be no Shari'a law in Ontario. (Hat tip: Little Green Footballs)

Ontario will not become the first Western jurisdiction to allow the use of a set of centuries' old religious rules called Sharia law to settle Muslim family disputes, and will ban all religious arbitrations in the province, Premier Dalton McGuinty told The Canadian Press on Sunday.

In a telephone interview with the national news agency, McGuinty announced his government would move quickly to outlaw existing religious tribunals used for years by Christians and Jews under Ontario's Arbitration Act.

"I've come to the conclusion that the debate has gone on long enough," he said. "There will be no Sharia law in Ontario. There will be no religious arbitration in Ontario. There will be one law for all Ontarians."

McGuinty said religious arbitrations "threaten our common ground," and promised his Liberal government would introduce legislation "as soon as possible" to outlaw them in Ontario. "Ontarians will always have the right to seek advice from anyone in matters of family law, including religious advice," he said. "But no longer will religious arbitration be deciding matters of family law."

Last December, a report from former NDP attorney general Marion Boyd recommended the province allow and regulate Sharia arbitrations much the same way it does Christian and Jewish tribunals, setting off a firestorm of protests.

Homa Arjomand, the women's rights activist who organized a series of protests across Canada and Europe last Thursday to convince McGuinty to abandon Sharia, was elated when she heard the news late Sunday. "I think our voice got heard loud and clear, and I thank the government for coming out with no faith-based arbitrations," said Arjomand. "Oh, I am so happy. That was the best news I have ever heard for the past five years."

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has been accused of "flirting with political Islam and playing a dangerous game."

Posted by Richard at September 11, 2005 9:58 PM

Articles Related to War on Terror - the issues.:

• Tired Of Rosie O'Donnell Pimping For The '9/11 Was An Inside Job' Conspiracy Crowd ? - Apr 04, 2007
• Campus Anti-war Attack On College Republican At University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg - Feb 22, 2007
• Taking stock on a global scale: A Perspective On A Violent Summer - Sep 03, 2006
• ACLU Wants Suspected Terrorists Allowed Back Into U.S. - Aug 30, 2006
• Evidence That A Boeing 757 Really Did Impact the Pentagon on 9/11 - May 16, 2006
• Is Islam the Enemy? - Apr 13, 2006
• The Fukuyama-Garfinkle Muddle on Terrorism and Fostering Democracy - Apr 05, 2006
• His wish was to fly a plan into the White House - Mar 05, 2006
• In Hollywood, the U.S. is the enemy, not the terrorists - Feb 03, 2006
• National Rally Against Islamo-Fascism Day - Jan 18, 2006