Canadian Muslims adopt Shariah legal code

By: Mohamed Ali

TORONTO, Canada: In Canada, debate has cropped up over the issue of Muslim courts practicing the Shariah legal code outside Canadian law.

According to reports the Canadian Society of Muslims, which acts under a 1991 Ontario provincial law, is setting up the Islamic Institute of Civil Justice to apply the Quran-based legal code for settlement of property, inheritance, marriage and divorce disputes.

The Ontario provincial law gave religious authorities the power to arbitrate civil matters as long as the people seeking arbitration do so voluntarily and are free to appeal those decisions in Canadian courts.

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