Looking Out To Sea

I was going to just tag this one on my Delicious feed but decided it merited a bit more publicity. The Times on Revealed: UK’s first official sharia courts said:

The government has quietly sanctioned the powers for sharia judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those involving domestic violence.

I honestly don’t care who you get to arbitrate on the argument you have with the next-door neighbour about his apple tree blocking out your sunlight blah-blah-blah. But since when has domestic violence counted as a civil matter?

Has this been the case with other arbitration systems and I didn’t notice? The story is typically light on relevant details, comparisons and caveats — or even a comment by someone who might know the law. “News media: Like information, but less informative.”

Tip of the panama.