Dear Friend,

As you may well be aware, The Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill was introduced to the House of Lords last week which aims to reduce the power and influence of sharia tribunals and courts in Britain; One Law for All and the National Secular Society have spoken out in its support as it signifies an important recognition of the injustices being perpetrated against women in religious tribunals in Britain. It further represents a strong assertion of the value of a single legal system and the protection of the rights and equality of women. To read more about the bill, see here.

Debate at House of Commons – 28 June 2011

Since our last letter to you, we have written to every MP and Peer in the Houses of Parliament asking that they attend a discussion on sharia law, and its practice under the power of the Arbitration Act 1996 and sent them a copy of our book ‘Sharia Law in Britain; A Threat to One Law for All and Equal Rights’. Here is a copy of the letter sent jointly with the National Secular Society.

To help us make this event as successful as possible, we ask again that you contact your Member of Parliament and urge him/her to attend this important debate. When contacting your MP, please inform him/her that sharia law operates in a way which is not in the public interest as it discriminates against women and children as a matter of course. Examples you can cite include that under sharia, the testimony of a woman is worth only half of a man, and fathers get child custody rights regardless of the circumstances of the case. You may also highlight a growing campaign among sharia advocates to effectively decriminalise domestic violence for Muslims in Britain. Thanks to those of you who have already done so. The discussion will take place in the House of Commons from 6-8pm on Tuesday June 28 and will be chaired by Jim Fitzpatrick MP. The meeting will be open to the public, space permitting; to attend, please RSVP onelawforall@gmail.com.

Once again I want to thank you for your continued support. We have many more plans for the year ahead and will keep you up to date on all that we do to promote equal rights and end discriminatory laws in Britain.

I also want to thank you for your continued donations. We couldn’t have come this far without your support. But we need a lot more. If you can, please donate or join our ‘100 Club’. Every bits helps.

Warmest wishes
Anne Marie Waters
Spokesperson
One Law for All

P.S. We now have a Twitter account. Follow us on One_Law_for_All.

P.S.S. We are now asking for entries for our 2011 Art competition. For more information, click here.