1 Garden Court would like to congratulate Sam Momtaz for being appointed on to the Independent Review Panel on Sharia Law launched today by the Home Secretary, Theresa May MP.  

The review’s intention is to explore whether, and to what extent, the application of Sharia law may be incompatible with the law in England and Wales. It will examine the ways in which Sharia may be being misused, or exploited, in a way that may discriminate against certain groups, undermine shared values and cause social harms.

Professor Mona Siddiqui will chair the panel which, besides Sam, will include retired High Court judge Sir Mark Hedley and specialist family law lawyer Anne Marie Hutchinson QC of Dawson Cornwell.   The panel will be advised by two religious and theological experts, Imam Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi and Imam Qari Asim.  

The review will complete its work in 2017 and seek best practice among councils.