Excerpt:
Islamic tribunals have been set up in the West Midlands to resolve disputes among the Muslim community.
Special hearings, comprising of an Islamic scholar and a lawyer, are hearing arguments before making rulings which are legally binding before proceedings start. A Black Country judge has been appointed to advise the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal (MAT) on how to make their rulings fit in with English law.
Shamim Qureshi, a district judge who lives in Wolverhampton and regularly sits at the city's magistrates court, said they were not Sharia courts and were legally binding under the Arbitration Act 1996.