Just Festival

What autonomy should faith-based and family courts have in the UK? And how can it be ensured that an individual’s basic human rights, and the right to a fair trial, are respected within a religious framework?

An open discussion on the practice of Sharia and Jewish courts in the UK, Faith-based Courts will seek to explore what faith-based courts do, what they are used for, and what legal accommodations are made for the UK’s Muslim and Jewish communities. The conversation will be chaired by Brent Haywood, of Lindsays. The panel will feature Professor Mona Siddiqui, of the University of Edinburgh, and one of Britain’s most prominent scholars of Islamic law. Professor Siddiqui has appeared on BBC Radio Scotland’s Thought for the Day, BBC Radio 4’s The Moral Maze, and chairs the BBC’s Religious Advisory Committee in Scotland. In 2016, she led an independent review of shari`a councils across the UK.

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