IHEU’s Executive Director, Babu Gogineni, is to speak at a demonstration in London against Canada’s faith-based courts. The demonstration, organised by International Campaign Against Sharia Court in Canada, will be held outside the Canadian High Commission in Grosvenor Square on September 8th, 2005, from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm.
This is the Campaign’s second annual international day of protest against all faith-based courts in Ontario.
Last year, the protestors demanded that the Liberal Government end the practice of permitting people to use “private courts and religious laws” to settle family legal matters such as divorce and child custody. The legal use of religious laws began with the introduction of the Arbitration Act in 1991. The decisions made by these private religious courts usually favour men at the expense of women and children.
The Campaign has worked hard to inform government leaders, media and the general public about the abuse of human rights that has taken place and continues to occur in these religious courts. It also outlined the future societal risks of permitting religious courts to continue to operate in Ontario.
Unfortunately, despite all of these warnings, the Canadian government has not rescinded its policy. The Liberal government continues to operate a two-tier legal system, one that is religious and another that is secular. It is time for this injustice to stop.
IHEU joins the Campaign in raising our collective voices, both men and women from all faiths and cultures, demanding that the Liberal government bring back “one law for all” in Canada.