In the wake of the launch of Sharia Watch UK and the Law Society’s issuing of guidelines to lawyers on how to draw up wills according to Sharia teaching, Aina Khan along with Anne Marie Waters, from Sharia Watch UK, spoke to Voice of Russia UK’s Tim Ecott on 30th April 2014.
The Law Society published its practice note on 13th March 2013 – it is to be used to assist solicitors with use of Sharia law succession rules. Particular areas included will drafting, trust issues and disputes over estates.
According to the Law Society website; “This is the first time guidance has been published for solicitors to assist them with the intricacies of Sharia succession rules, which is the code of law derived from the Quran and from the teachings and example of Mohammed.”
This means that clients in the England and Wales have the option to legally bequeath their assets according to Sharia Law, granted that the will is signed in accordance with the requirements set out in the Wills Act 1837.
Following this decision by the Law Society, a new group ‘ Sharia Watch UK’ was launched on 24 April 2014 at the House of Lords, claiming to “campaign for greater recognition” of the perceived “threat posed by Islamic Sharia law”.
The group’s spokeswoman Anne Marie Waters, and Aina Khan, spoke to Voice of Russia UK’s Tim Ecott for a second in-depth interview “In Conversation: Where there’s a will there’s a way for argument”, which was aired on 30th April 2014.
Following her appearance, Aina Khan said; “It was good to have the opportunity to have a nuanced debate about this important topic, rather than rushed sound bites’.
A link to the interview transcript and full audio can be found here.
