Maleiha Malik (2012) Minority Legal Orders in the UK: Minorities, Pluralism and the Law. London: The British Academy.
Minority Legal Orders in the UK
The following information was supplied by Maleiha Malik for the EHRC Religion or Belief Research Network. Please add your own thoughts in the comments section below
Description
This report was launched by the British Academy Policy Centre in April 2012. Minority legal orders – the systemic, distinct, religious or cultural norms of groups such as Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others – are often misleadingly described as ‘parallel legal systems’. Since 9/11 and 7/7, they have been mainly discussed in the context of Islam and sharia law, and more often than not as an ominous threat to UK liberal democracy.
The report discusses the experience of religious and cultural diversity in the UK which underpins minority legal orders (popularly known as ‘parallel legal systems’). It sets out different state responses to minority legal orders and suggests future academic and policy research priorities in the area.
You can download the report and executive summary here.