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economist sunsuntribune diversions saturday aug 28 2004 21 adulterers will not be stoned under islamic sharia law from page 13 could be coerced into accepting rulings that would favour men in matters of marriage divorce inheritance and division of fam ily property but theres no reason to believe if a muslim is seeking redress from a neighbour over a broken fence beheading will be the remedy nor will shoplifters have their hands amputated adul terers will not be buried alive and stoned another banal truth is sharia panels have been operating in ontario for years perhaps since 1991 in an ad hoc system that has been quietly settling marital and business disputes the iicj seeks merely to formalize the structure so why all the fuss now muslims arent alone in using the arbitration act aboriginal groups use the ontario law to operate restorative justice pro grams and jews have long used the beth din house of law to settle business and nonfamily disputes perhaps that is the model for ms boyd to adopt dropping family law from the tribunals purview and sticking to more to mundane financial and civil dis putes could be one way to go another would be to pre- counsel all women and immi grants appearing before the panels and tell them they have the option of going to secular court using the sharia panels must be voluntary 1 but theres no reason to believe if a muslim is seeking redress from a neighbour over a broken fence beheading will be the remedy the key is voluntary partici pation by all involved if some one is coerced into participation that must be addressed but if parties use the process of their own will a process that reflects their cultural values and is consistent with canadian law i have no problem ms boyd must first fix a big hole in the act it currently pro vides for appeals based only on errors of law that must be changed to include appeals on public policy grounds as the levelheaded discus sion at wwwrabbleca has noted if we truly believe we are free then why shouldnt two muslims who want to solve their differ ences with sharia law be allowed we dont prevent those of other faiths or cultures or any one really from settling their dif ferences as they see fit so long as the resolution falls within cana dian laws so why not muslims nor do we accuse other faiths of operating parallel courts that would trump canadian law ms boyds report must repeat what has already been stated any ml- ing by these panels contrary to canadian law or policy will not stand ontarios bold experiment deserves close scrutiny if it does nt work we can always look to no less than aristotle who said even when laws have been writ ten down they ought not always to remain unaltered ron csillag is a thomhill writer specializing in religion are you looking for work the staff at the stouffville neighbourhood employment resource centre can support you in your job search at no cost to you take advantage of our expertise in job search strategies resume cover letter preparation interviewing tips internet access fax photocopier services drop in to see how we can help you get back to work stouffville neighbourhood employment resource centre 28 sandiford drive unit 7 9056402856 oaoaicm s region iikhf toaoot o york reg ion 2 0 04 presented by owssifieds sfitmicfbjm tuesday september 14 2004 10am4pm premiere ballroom convention centre 9019 leslie street n of hwy 7 richmond hill premiere uiuma i wbb tare- x looking for a job in health care check out the various health care opportunities available full or parttime permanent or temporary career training donl miss dutl m11m health care ler isionals frl ie admission free parking door 1zes bring plenty of resumes professional development leadership certificate course value 262 courtesy of registered practical nurses association of ontario spurn a 250 shopping spree courtesy of studvboundcom one off three 100 gift certificates for health care uniforms courtesy of express uniforms participating organizations include markham stouffville hospital firstaff health care services studyboundcom home relief health services community nursing home saint elizabeth health care the hospital news chats rpnao academy of learning calea limited clinidata corporation kriger research center sunrise senior living express uniforms we care home health services can care health services registered nurses association of ontario med thredz beyond uniforms ons ontario nursing services carecor health services bayshore healthcare toronto rehabilitation institute southlake residential care village rouge valley health system careplus the regional municipality of york ontario nursing gateway worlds ccac of york region is your organization interested in participating to book your booth contact amy at 18007433353 or 9058538888 x225 email ahughesyrngcom check out our website wwwyorkregioncom