Theresa May’s review of sharia courts has been branded a “whitewash” before it has even begun, with more than 200 individuals and human rights groups signing an open letter urging her to dismantle the panel chosen to oversee the inquiry.

They claim that by appointing an Islamic scholar as chair and placing two imams in advisory roles, the panel’s ability to make an impartial assessment of how religious arbitration is used to the detriment of women’s rights will be seriously compromised.

Signatories include Gita Sahgal, the director of Centre for Secular Space and a former head of Amnesty International’s gender unit, the playwright Julia Pascal and the Iranian-born human rights activist, Maryam Namazie.

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They say the “narrow remit” of the review, which starts collecting evidence this month, has a misplaced focus on seeking out “best practice” among sharia councils rather than questioning their very existence.

While there are three legal experts on the panel, critics claim the role of chair should have be given to a judge rather than a theologian and that female advisors or those that advocate for them should be included.

Ms Namazie told The Independent: “The law and not religion should be the basis of justice for citizens. We are calling for an impartial judge-led inquiry that places human rights, not theology, at the heart of the investigation.”

Sharia councils have no enforcement powers and operate on a voluntary basis with consent of both parties. Sharia law does not supersede UK law. Either party, if dissatisfied should be able to seek redress in the UK courts. However some women who attend sharia councils are not aware of their rights or are cowed by community or religious pressures.

The review, announced in May as part of the Government’s counter-extremism strategy and due to be completed by 2017, is to be chaired by Mona Siddiqui, a professor of Islamic studies at the University of Edinburgh and a regular presenter of the Thought for the Day slot on Radio 4’s Today programme. Family lawyer Anne-Marie Hutchinson, barrister Sam Momtaz, and retired high court judge, Sir Mark Hedley will also sit on the panel.

The Home Office said the panel will examine the ways in which sharia may be “misused or exploited” following concerns that some sharia councils were working in a discriminatory fashion by seeking to legitimise forced marriage and issuing divorces to women that were “unfair and contrary to the teachings of Islam”.

May said at the time: “A number of women have reportedly been victims of what appears to be discriminatory decisions taken by sharia councils, and that is a significant concern.”

Women’s rights groups initially welcomed the move as a rare opportunity for the state to examine the resurgence of Islamism via sharia courts and its impact on gender equality.

But Ms Namazie, who set up the campaign One Law For All, said they now fear the review, which states it will “seek out best practice among sharia councils” could lead to their endorsement.

She said: “Far from examining the connections between religious fundamentalism and women’s rights, the narrow remit of the inquiry will render it a whitewash. It seems more geared to rubberstamping the courts than defending women’s rights.”

Their concerns were detailed in a letter published this week on the website Open Democracy.

They wrote: “It is patronising if not racist to fob off minority women with so-called religious experts who wish to legitimate sharia laws as a form of governance in family and private matters.

“By making religious appointments, the Government has lost a vital opportunity to examine the discriminatory nature of not only sharia councils but all spheres of religious arbitration including the Batei Din [Jewish court].”

However, Ms Siddiqui said the desire of campaigners to polarise religion and law demonstrated a “profound misunderstanding of sharia”.

She told The Independent: “Being a theologian doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about human rights or legal parameters. The last thing I want to be involved in is something which is seen as propping up a system that is not working to the advantage of men and women irrespective of their religion.”

Ms Siddiqui, who said the panel would start collecting evidence this month, insisted the voice of women’s rights advocates would be heard.

Case study Hameeda* is a 70-year-old mother and grandmother and this is her experience of a sharia court operating in a London borough: “In February 2016, my husband Hafeez died after many years of ill health. His final year was very difficult for me as he had Alzheimer’s and this was painful to watch. “When he died I was in a state of shock but did not realise how difficult my life was to become. When he died my sons went to speak to the Imam at the local mosque and he said they must speak to judges at the sharia court. We are now living by the rules this judge has set. “The sharia court said I had to remain in Iddat [period of waiting] for 40 days after my husband’s passing. I was not allowed to go to the telephone, the front door or even go into the garden during this time in case a man was to see me. I felt like a prisoner. “Then, four months after my husband’s death, I came under a lot of pressure from my sons to sell my house and give them money. They were told in English law I own the house I live in but this is not the way in Islam and the property should be given to my sons. “I cry every day because I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. “What about my daughters? The judge said the girls are only entitled to a third, but as I am still alive they will have to wait until I die to get the money. I do not want to give up the home I worked so hard to make. “I have never heard of cases like this – not in Pakistan or the UK. What is this new Islam that can threaten to take the roof from the head of an old woman like me? I am a prisoner in my own home. I do not feel safe. I am so tired of all this. Please help women like me and stop the judges destroying our lives.” *Names changed at contributor’s request

“I’ve already received a number of requests and everyone is welcome. I wouldn’t waste my time doing this if I just wanted to whitewash or ignore the concerns of Muslim women,” she said.

“As a Muslim woman myself I’m interested in why we have sharia councils in the first place but also why are younger people using sharia councils?”

She added: “If people are using this [sharia] for arbitration or mediation, and find that helps … then that’s fine. But if people are saying a woman has to stay with her husband or she loses custody of her children, then that goes against UK law and absolutely that is wrong.”

Asked why there wasn’t a woman from the Muslim community advising the panel, Ms Siddiqui said women had been approached but were reluctant to come forward.

She said: “The imams are advising us because they have the ear of the community but that doesn’t mean what they say will be taken necessarily as right or wrong.”

However, campaigners have claimed one of the imams holds very traditional views that sit at odds with women’s rights. They allege that comments made by Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, a former member of the Majlis Ulema Shia scholarly group, suggest he supports the death penalty in Islamic states, promotes negative views about homosexuality and believes Western clothing is a sign of corruption.

They refer to footage posted on YouTube in 2014 of Mr Razawi giving a lecture at Montreal’s Shiane Haidery centre. In the clip he is heard to state “homosexuality will increase… zinaa’ [a sin of sexual intercourse] will increase in our society”.

Since The Independent made enquiries about the video it has been made private.

In another clip, posted in December last year, he tells an audience at an Islamic Centre in Milton Keynes: “Sometimes your enemy can even come as your ignorant friend… Do not socialise with a jahil because a jahil will cause you problems.” ‘Jahil’ refers to those ignorant of Islam.

Mr Razawi, who says he carries out inter-faith work, strongly refutes holding views which oppose women’s rights. He told The Independent: “I’m a philosopher. Those particular lectures were on certain traditions and were not my opinion.”

The second imam advisor to the panel is Qari Muhammad Asim who is attached to the Leeds Makkah Masjid, one of the UK’s largest mosques.

Pragna Patel, director of the charity Southall Black Sisters, questioned the choice of imam advisors over those who advocate for women victims of sharia councils. She said: “This review is effectively pre-determined. It is saying let’s identify bad practice and see what we can do to make it compatible with UK law but this is not about splitting hairs between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Islam.

She added: “We should be asking why are parallel legal systems flourishing and what harm are they doing? The abuses can only be addressed in a framework of human rights.”

In their letter, campaigners said there was “considerable evidence” to show that sharia courts are violating women’s rights with respect to marriage, divorce, custody of children, property and inheritance.

They point to the recently published book Women and sharia Law by Elham Manea and have launched a crowd-funding campaign to get a copy into the hands of every MP and peer.

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It looked to be a straight-forward victory for the Spaniard as he surged into a two-set lead, but Murray is not a three-time Grand Slam champion for nothing and he supremely levelled the match despite hobbling around the court from the get-go. However, in the end his hip injury just took too much out of him, and Bautista Agut clinched a breath-taking 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (4-7), 2-6 victory to reach the second round where he'll face Australia's John Millman Reuters 41/50 13 January 2019 British Prime Minister, Theresa May and her husband Philip attend Sunday morning prayers at her local church in Maidenhead, Britain, 13 January 2019. Members of the British Parliament are due to vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal on 15 January 2019, with Britain set to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019. EPA 42/50 12 January 2019 Demonstrators wearing yellow vests protest near Broadcasting House on in London, England. Demonstrators from both the left and the right wings of British politics have adopted the 'Gilets Jaunes' or Yellow Vest form of protest that first became prominent in France throughout November and December 2018. Various groups meet in London today to protest the Brexit deal due to be voted on in the UK Parliament Getty Images 43/50 11 January 2019 An emotional Andy Murray revealed this year's Australian Open could be the last tournament of his career. Struggling to hold back tears, the 31-year-old Scot said that the continuing pain from what he described as his “severely damaged right hip” had led him to decide to end his career this year. 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PA 7/50 16 February 2019 Demonstrators hold a banner during a protest over BP and Iraq at the British Museum in London, Britain Reuters 8/50 15 February 2019 Schoolchildren take part in a student climate march in Parliament Square in London. Thousands of UK pupils from schools, colleges and universities will walk out for a nationwide climate change strike. Students in 60 cities from the West Country to Scotland are protesting, urging the government to declare a climate emergency and take action over the problem. They are keen that the national curriculum is reformed and the environmental crisis is communicated to the public. Similar strikes have taken place in Australia and in European countries such as Belgium and Sweden Getty 9/50 14 February 2019 A lady enjoys the beach in sunshine in Brighton, East Sussex. 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The defendants, who have become known as the Stansted 15, said they were “guilty of nothing more than intervening to prevent harm” to migrants on board the plane PA 18/50 5 February 2019 Emergency services attend to a house fire Stafford in which four children have died. Two adults and a fifth child are being treated in hospital SWNS 19/50 4 February 2019 Hamish, the UK's only polar bear cub, enjoying the snow at RZSS's Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms. Hamish was the first polar bear cub to be born in the UK for 25 years when he arrived on December 18, 2017 RZSS/PA 20/50 3 February 2019 British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves after attending a Sunday church service in Maidenhead Getty 21/50 2 February 2019 Owen Farrell celebrates as he walks down the tunnel after England beat Ireland in their Six Nations match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin Reuters 22/50 1 February 2019 Dog walkers in Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve on the Chilterns escarpment, in Oxfordshire. Snowfall and icy conditions are expected to cause widespread travel disruption after temperatures plummeted as low as minus 15.4C (4.3F) overnight. PA 23/50 31 January 2019 A person walks past the frozen Sefton Park Lake in Liverpool after the UK had its coldest night of the winter so far as the cold snap continues to cause icy conditions across the country PA 24/50 30 January 2019 Police searching near the scene in Islington, north London where 17-year-old boy, Nedim Bilgin, was pronounced dead after being stabbed on Tuesday evening PA 25/50 29 January 2019 A vehicle navigates in snowy conditions near Newby Head in North Yorkshire, as up to 10cm of snow could fall on higher ground as temperatures drop across the UK this week PA 26/50 28 January 2019 A Union flag flies from a pole in front of the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben, near the Houses of Parliament in central London. 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Getty 29/50 25 January 2019 Former engineers Derek Mack (left) and Mike Kelloway, both from the Isle of Wight, inside the remains of the Black Arrow projectile, the UK's only rocket to successfully launch a satellite into orbit, are unveiled at a storage facility in Penicuik, near Edinburgh, after almost 50 years languishing in the Australian Outback PA 30/50 24 January 2019 Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond makes a statement outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court after he was arrested and charged by police. No further details of the charge against the 64-year-old have been released. 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As part of a road trip across the UK, Dippy has arrived in Scotland and will be on show Getty 37/50 17 January 2019 A farmer rides a quad bike as snow and frost settles on the peaks of the hills in the Brecon Beacons PA 38/50 16 January 2019 Theresa May speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons the day after her Brexit deal was defeated in Parliament PA 39/50 15 January 2019 Police monitor Brexit protesters outside the houses of parliament in London. Parliamentarians are voting on the postponed Brexit EU Withdrawal Agreement, commonly known as The Meaningful Vote, deciding on Britain's future relationship with the European Union EPA 40/50 14 January 2019 Andy Murray produced one of the performances of his career, but after more than four hours and with an injured hip that will inevitably end his career at some point this year, he exited the Australian Open in the first round at the hands of 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut. It looked to be a straight-forward victory for the Spaniard as he surged into a two-set lead, but Murray is not a three-time Grand Slam champion for nothing and he supremely levelled the match despite hobbling around the court from the get-go. However, in the end his hip injury just took too much out of him, and Bautista Agut clinched a breath-taking 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (4-7), 2-6 victory to reach the second round where he'll face Australia's John Millman Reuters 41/50 13 January 2019 British Prime Minister, Theresa May and her husband Philip attend Sunday morning prayers at her local church in Maidenhead, Britain, 13 January 2019. Members of the British Parliament are due to vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal on 15 January 2019, with Britain set to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019. EPA 42/50 12 January 2019 Demonstrators wearing yellow vests protest near Broadcasting House on in London, England. Demonstrators from both the left and the right wings of British politics have adopted the 'Gilets Jaunes' or Yellow Vest form of protest that first became prominent in France throughout November and December 2018. Various groups meet in London today to protest the Brexit deal due to be voted on in the UK Parliament Getty Images 43/50 11 January 2019 An emotional Andy Murray revealed this year's Australian Open could be the last tournament of his career. Struggling to hold back tears, the 31-year-old Scot said that the continuing pain from what he described as his “severely damaged right hip” had led him to decide to end his career this year. He said that he had been planning to make this summer’s Wimbledon his farewell tournament, but feared that he might have to bring down the curtain before then Getty Images 44/50 10 January 2019 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were greeted by Chase Bridge Primary School children waving UK and Japanese national flags during a visit to Twickenham Rugby Stadium in, west London. Abe is visiting Britain and set to hold talks with May following her visit to Tokyo and Kyoto last year AFP/Getty 45/50 9 January 2019 Former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron (right) speaks to a pro-Brexit protester outside the Houses of Parliament. MPs will resume debating Theresa May's Brexit plan a month after she postponed the original commons vote. Met police have been urged to take action against protesters who abuse MP's. This comes after Conservative MP Anna Soubry was verbally abused and called 'Nazi scum' by pro-Brexit protesters on 7 January EPA 46/50 8 January 2019 Alex Salmond speaking outside the Court of Session in Edinburgh after it ruled that the Scottish Government acted unlawfully regarding sexual harassment complaints against the former first minister PA 47/50 7 January 2019 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May meets with a mother and baby during a visit to a facility within Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool. May made a speech setting out the government's long-term plan for the National Health Service AFP/Getty 48/50 6 January 2019 The Lions part group of professional performers on Bankside, during the annual Twelfth Night celebrations on the South Bank in central London. PA 49/50 5 January 2019 Elliott List celebrates after scoring Gillingham's first goal during the FA Cup third round match between against Cardiff City at Priestfield Stadium. The League One side went on to knock the Premier League out of the competition Getty 50/50 4 January 2019 Frances Connolly, 52, and Patrick Connolly, 54, from Moira, County Armagh in Northern Ireland, who scooped a £115 million EuroMillions jackpot in the New Year's Day lottery draw, during a photocall at the Culloden Estate and Spa in Holywood, Belfast, as they announce their win PA

Ms Manea, a political scientist and professor at Zurich University in Switzerland, argues in her critique of legal pluralism that the rules upheld by some sharia courts in Britain, typical of the hard-line Wahabi and Deobandi forms of Islam, is more extreme than in parts of Pakistan.

During her four-year investigation of a network of about 80 British arbitration councils operating in London and the Midlands, she found clerics that ignored marital rape, condoned wife beating and believed that girls of 12 or 13 were old enough to marry. She concluded sharia was used to “legitimise systematic discrimination against women and children”.

Savin Bapir-Tardy is a psychologist for the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation and provides counselling to those subjected to domestic violence and so-called “honour” based abuse.

She says: “Sharia courts use the power of women’s faith to gain psychological hold over them though guilt. This guilt is used to make any woman who challenges the religious arbitrators feel as if they are the perpetrator and are responsible for destroying their family’s reputation.”

She said some women are so indoctrinated that it is hard to persuade them of their rights or to make testimonials.

She says one woman she worked with had her five sons taken from her under the order of the Sharia courts because she refused her husband sex. Custody was granted to him even though she told arbitrators she had been a victim of FGM and got no pleasure from intercourse.

Ms Bapir-Tardy says: "She believed their authority and was therefore denied the justice and protection she was entitled to under UK law."

But the Muslim Council of Britain argues that sharia arbitration panels “can and should operate well within the boundaries set by UK law”.

In a statement it said: “We should not discount the positive role played by the religious institutions and processes of all faiths. Where there are concerns of discrimination and illegality, these should be dealt with under the full force of the law. If required, sharia councils should be given support to build capacity, thereby allowing them to offer a service to resolve disputes.”

The minister for countering extremism Lord Ahmad said the review would determine to what extent sharia law is being misused or exploited.

He said: “The chair, panel and advisors were carefully selected and represent a wide range of relevant experience and expertise. Together they bring strong academic knowledge, legal insight and credible expertise in religion and theology.”

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