Mick Hartley

The headlines will tell you there are at least 85 sharia courts in Britain. There are definitely more and they have little to do with gavels and wigs and more to do with upholding the cultural and tribal status quo in communities.

Having been on the receiving end of sharia rulings – I must make it clear that sharia courts are often nothing of the sort and are more likely to be an imam at the end of a phone – I can speak about the arbitrary and random nature of these bodies. Contrary to popular belief, there is no central network, no supreme sharia judge, no sharia bar, no sharia AGM, no sharia ombudsman, no sharia HQ and no torts.

Sharia law isn't even written down and most Muslims will dip in and out of it when it suits them….

When my father died, my mother decided that, although under British law she was entitled to everything, she wanted to settle things according to Islamic law so she could "die with a clear conscience". She asked my brother to call an imam. The imam said my brothers would get twice the share of my sister and I and so on. On learning that my father had a son by a previous marriage, the imam said my half brother must also have a share in my dad's estate. So, a man who is a stranger to us tells us that another man who is a stranger to us is entitled to a stake in our family home, where we have lived for 25 years and he has never set foot in….

Ultimately, from my own experiences and from those of my friends, sharia is driven by the needs of a community rather than an individual. Whatever the protestations of its fans, this system of law does not favour women or local custom. While it is impossible to outlaw it, a better and more realistic solution would be to educate people about the advantages of British law, which, while it has its flaws, is more developed and grounded in reality and fairness.

Well yes.