House of Lords Debates Placing Restrictions On Sharia Arbitration Panels

As reported today by The Telegraph, in Britain on Friday the House of Lords debated a bill to place restrictions on Sharia arbitration tribunals. (Full text of Lords' debate.) The proposed Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill would add several provisions to British law. The Equality Act would be amended to prohibit anyone providing arbitration services from doing anything that constitutes discrimination, harassment or victimization on grounds of sex. The Arbitration Act would be amended to bar any arbitration agreement or process that gives more weight to the testimony of men than women, or which gives women fewer inheritance or property rights. The amendments would also exclude from arbitration anything within the jurisdiction of the criminal or family courts. The Family Law Act would be amended to allow a court to set aside any negotiated or mediated agreement if it concludes that one party's consent was not genuine. The proposed bill also takes aim at informal Sharia councils that deal with divorce and child custody.  It prohibits anyone from purporting to determine family law or criminal maters in arbitration, and from falsely purporting to exercise the power of a court to make legally binding rulings.