The Canadian province of Ontario passed legislation this week banning all forms of religious arbitration in family matters, including Shariah law. According to National Post, religious arbitration – including the Muslim legal code – has been allowed in Ontario since 1991 and the passage of Bill 27 elicited diverse reaction from religious groups when it was passed. “I’m overjoyed,” said Tarek Fatah, spokesman for the Muslim Canadian Congress. “This is a great victory for all Ontarians because we’ve finally asserted that there will be one law for all.” Fatah, a Pakistani-Canadian said the new legislation was a setback for Islamic fundamentalists, who tried to use Canada’s multicultural values to advance a set of laws detrimental to women’s rights. “Laws that cannot be debated in Parliament should never be part of public policy,” he said.
A spokesman for the Canadian Jewish Congress said that organisation was “extremely disappointed” with the legislation. Mark Freyman said the provincial Liberal government failed to consult with it before announcing changes to the system. He said Jewish courts have dealt with an unknown number of divorce and custody cases in the province since 1991. “We are not aware of any complaints (over that period,)” he said.