Police Accused Of Turning A Blind Eye To Sharia Courts In Britain

The Police have been accused of turning a blind eye to the spread of sharia courts across Britain as figures show that only three per cent of so called honor crimes were prosecuted last year.

Data shows that the police have repeatedly failed to prosecute and prevent honour-based abuse such as forced marriages, honour killings and female genital mutilation.

The Mail Online reports: On top of this, the rise of sharia courts within some Muslim communities has only made it more difficult for the state to intervene.

Campaigners claim the courts have created a parallel justice system operating behind closed doors with no oversight from the government.

Currently, there are believed to be as many as 85 sharia councils operating across the country.  

Even when offences are reported to the police many are not prosecuted.

In 2025, 2,949 honour-related offences were recorded in Britain, but only 95 defendants were prosecuted.

And between 2022 and 2024, less than 150 offenders were prosecuted of the 5763 offences reported.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the Conservative’s shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy claimed the British state has ‘turned a blind eye to sharia courts spreading across our country’.

‘There can only be one rule of law,’ The MP said.

Sharia courts  – which are not bound by the Arbitration Act that guarantees some level of Governmental regulation – are mostly used by Muslims to manage family and marital affairs, including divorce and remarriage.

In the past Imams have been accused of facilitating underage marriage, polygamy, and encouraging women to return to abusive husbands.