This African Country Could Start Islamic ‘Sharia Courts’

Christian advocacy groups are raising major concerns over a bill in Uganda that would establish a parallel court system functioning on the basis of Sharia law.

ADF International said in an April 7 release that the Islamic judicial system would handle marriage, divorce, custody, and other personal law matters for Muslim marriages.

But it could impact Christians and other non-Muslims implicated in certain cases.

“Uganda’s proposed Sharia courts bill would subject Christians and other non-Muslims to Islamic law, while undermining fundamental rights — especially for women, children, and religious converts,” Kelsey Zorzi, the director of advocacy for global religious freedom at ADF International, said in the release.

“The Ugandan Qadhis Courts Bill should not proceed within the Parliament, and it is imperative that both international and Ugandan actors oppose it.”

Supporters are attempting to pass the bill before April 24.

Zorzi warned that “the proposed bill’s passage would represent a