Sharia Law: Marriages

Debate between Lord Keen of Elie and Lord Garel-Jones

Thursday 4th July 2019 Lords Chamber

[Lord Keen of Elie]

It is essential that all citizens have equal protection under the law. It is also important that they are treated equally under the law.

[Lord Garel-Jones (Con)]

Does my noble friend agree that it is perhaps a little misleading to refer to sharia rules as law? All religions have a perfect right to set out the regulations of their faith, but is it not wrong to refer to those regulations as law? With the exception of the Church of England’s ecclesiastical and religious regulations, they are subject to UK law. Consequently, does my noble friend agree that if sharia regulations—for example, on the treatment of women—conflict with UK law, then UK law, being sovereign, overrides these regulations?

[Lord Keen of Elie]

My noble friend is absolutely right. Clearly, national law must be adhered to. I do not take exception to the reference to religious law, or sharia, in a social context. There are parties who wish to adhere to that because of their religious beliefs, but they must understand that it is subject to the law of the land, and that sharia is not the law of the land and has no standing as such.