EXPLORING FAITH AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM

At County Hall, Glenfield (seat of Leicestershire County Council), for a meeting of the Interfaith Forum for Leicestershire. There's a good turnout, with over 40 attendees just about filling the Sparkenhoe Committee Room. There are people here from city and county groups - and from further afield.

This evening's topic is "Exploring Faith and the Justice System". The aims for the meeting (as stated in publicity circulated beforehand) are:

• to explore faith/religious beliefs, in the context of the justice system/Rule of Law
• to hear different perspectives around justice and the law, from a legal specialist, and also from faith perspectives
• to explore faiths which provide separate systems of law for their followers, and if/how these can be reconciled at all with the UK legal system, or whether this brings followers into conflict with their faith
• to get our members to think about what we agree as being morally/ethically right or wrong and to potentially explore issues around human rights.

Our speakers are:

• His Honour, Judge Simon Hammond of Leicester Crown Court
• Shaykh Faiz-Ul Aqtab Siddiqi of the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal and Principal of Hijaz College Islamic University, Nuneaton

Judge Simon Hammond started his talk with a list of qualities that are expected of a Judge (each one illustrd with a an amusing or instructive anecdote): honesty; patience; briskness; attentiveness; independence. He addresses two practical issues relted to faith identity and practice in the courtroom: Muslim women wearing veils when giving evidence and saccomodating breaks for observance of prayers at specific times. In more general terms, he considers the relationship between justice and forgiveness, darawing on experience and knowledge of cases related to domestic abuse and crimes of a sexual nature (such as the Ealing Vicarage Rape Case). He ended by reading a prayer for Judges of all faiths. He left us with a question: does the conventionally accepted Locke/Rousseau Social Contract compromise the integrity of people who want to live their lives in submission to the will of God?

Shaykh Faiz-Ul Aqtab Siddiqi describes how he helped found the Muslim Arbitration Council in 2007 as part of a process to help Muslims born into third and/or fourth generation families here feel equally at home in being British and Muslim. The Council is different from Sharia Courts inasmuch as they can go beyond the conventional areas in which sharia Courts are seen to bbe involved. He tells us how 98% of the Council's work is with young people and that around 15% of those who bring their issues to the Council are not Muslim - indeed there are a growing number of cases where neither partyis Muslim). Their goal is to deal with issues before they escalate to the level where they come to the attention of the authorities and have to be dealt with by the Law.

We also hear from two young Muslim women from Leicester, involved in the Interfaith Youth Hub run by St Philips Centre for Study and Engagement in a Multi-Faith Society, who tell us about their perspectives on Trade Justice. They had attended a meeting of the Christian-Muslim Youth Forum at Lambeth Palace, where they'd had the opportunity to meet the Archbishop of Catnerbury, Dr Rowan Williams. They pepper their brief presentation this evening with references from the Quar'an and Hadith to justice, fairness and honest dealing in trace and business. Given the strength of their conviction and the warmth of the reception from the audience, I have to say I'm glad I'm wearing my Ethletic trainers this evening!

There are some Bahá'ís heer this evening and, although it is not mentioned aloud, I am sure that they, like I, have in mind this verse from Bahá'u'lláh's Hidden Words:
The meeting is brought to a close by Noel Singh, Policy Officer at Leicestershire County Council, who organises these meetings (and more) from behind the scenes. He tells us that this is the last meeting of the Interfaith Forum for Leicestershire to be chaired by Resham Singh Sandhu, who has held the chair (which goes round members on an annual rotation) for the past twelve months. Noel also informs us of a memorial meeting for Rachel Carmichael, who passed away at the weekend. the memorial meeting will be held at the Quaker Meeting House, Queens Road, Leicester on Wed 28 July, 1430.

The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.