People send these sorts of articles to me all the time: “Creeping Sharia: Lessons from UK.” Here’s the thesis:
All over the Western world we see prime examples of creeping sharia and the Islamisation of free, democratic societies. And as more and more of this occurs, the less free and democratic these societies become. One nation that seems to be leading the West in all this is the UK.
The hysterical fear of the Islamicization of America is palpable.
The article recounts in detail the arranged marriage of a five-year old in the UK. The claim is that sharia law is gaining legitimacy and will spread to the US. The US will fall to Muslims as the UK is already falling.
But the Brits are not condoning or allowing sharia to become entrenched, at least in these sorts of cases. They are prosecuting the families who are committing these atrocities. Of course, most of these sorts of arrangements fly under the radar.
The second case–of 100,000 female genital mutilations in the UK– is similar. FGM is illegal in the UK and both the doctors who perform the procedures and the families who arrange them are liable to prosecution. Sadly, the police are seldom informed of FGM cases and there have been no convictions. But two weeks ago, two medical professionals were arrested for offering to perform FGMs.
I suspect that British police and most British citizens are not terribly interested in FGM or child marriages. And I suspect the reason is not because of their liberal attitudes towards Muslims and acceptance of sharia but because of their disrespect for Arabs and blacks. If white, “proper Brits”, were subject to FGM or child marriages, they would be up in arms.
In short, it’s not tolerance that ignores and, thereby, permits the practice of sharia law, it’s disrespect. And disrespect grounds dehumanization. And subhumans are typically ignored or denied the protection of law or basic human rights. The bottom line–sharia isn’t gaining legitimacy, proper Brits just don’t care about Arabs.
Should sharia-like practices start to impinge upon people they care about or the British legal system or the British policing system in ways harmful to them or people like them, proper Brits will rise up against sharia. Until then, they are not likely to invest too much in protecting people they don’t really care that much about.
The Daughters of Eve, set up by three survivors of FGM, is trying hard, with limited success, to get Brits to care. Check out their website and view their disturbing video.
I am a Muslim from a Muslim country. I have never heard/read of FGM in any Muslim law. Read recently about a small community from Karachi which some times practice it as does some commonalities in North Africa & Middle East. Male circumcision is requirement of Islamic law as it was of Judah law.
FGM is cultural not religious.
Regards.
Thanks for the clarification. I think most of the world’s oppressive practices against women are likely cultural not religious.
I know very little about Sharia law or the controversy over it in the UK, but it is sad that so many FGMs are taking place. I’m interested what someone from the UK thinks about this. I can’t think of anyone I know from the UK, but I do have a friend who worked with Muslims in Paris and I plan on discussing this with him.