International

SP Member of Parliament Sadet Karabulut describes as 'unacceptable' the fact that a number of mosques in the Netherlands continue to act in accordance with Sharia principles of justice. The practice was revealed on Tuesday in an edition of popular TV documentary series Netwerk. “Sharia law is in conflict with our system of justice under which women and men are treated equally and discrimination is forbidden," says Karabulut. "The government must act as quickly as possible to put an end to Sharia practices in the Netherlands."

In an edition of the TV programme Netwerk, several people confirmed that Sharia law is practised in a number of Dutch mosques. What this means is that men can marry more than one woman, despite the fact that polygamy is illegal in the Netherlands. Sharia law conflicts with the principle of equal treatment of women and men, because women are treated as unequal in regard to family law and rights of inheritance. Karabulut wants to know in which mosques polygamous marriages are conducted, questions of inheritance settled and divorces regulated according to Islamic rules.

"The equal worth of men and women is an extremely valuable social good in defence of which we must all take a firm stand. Women's rights are human rights and infringement of these rights by people who want to adhere to oppressive mediaeval traditions is an attack on these values. According to the law of the land in the Netherlands discrimination is forbidden and everyone, women and men, Muslims and non-Muslims, homosexuals and heterosexuals must be treated equally. Marrying more than one woman, or treating women as inferiors and subordinates has no place here."