Editorial: All Canadians Should Abide By Same Laws

December 1, 2003

Source: Montreal Gazette

http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=75e691ae-e91a-4d2d-b377-b7676152dd44

On December 1, 2003 the Montreal Gazette ran an editorial in response to Canadian Muslims' call for Islamic tribunals run on shari'a law to be accepted by the country's legal system. The editorial board wrote, "Canadians are proud of our country's reputation for multiculturalism. But all Canadians, whatever their roots or culture, should abide by Canadian law, just as they enjoy its protection. Which is why the newly minted Islamic Institute of Civil Justice must be accorded exactly zero authority in our legal system...Sharia law is known in the West mainly by its more extreme clauses, which recommend brutal punishments and authorize the unequal treatment of women. Perhaps this is an unfair image. But no country can have two competing codes of law."

See also: Islam, International