A major church wants the Federal Government to repel any push by Muslim migrants to introduce sharia law into Australia.
And a new nationalist group has warned that it will use the law to “inhibit Islam” in this country.
The Presbyterian Church, the nation’s fourth-biggest Christian denomination, has told a federal multicultural inquiry that rising Muslim immigration could mean more pressure to introduce sharia law.
“Some aspects of sharia can appear benign but in other respects its thrust is harmful to the social consensus within the Judeo-Christian framework of a Western country,” said a submission by the Presbyterian church and nation committee.
Committee convenor Rev Stefan Slucki said yesterday the church was worried about divisive elements within Islam being imported into Australia.
“In welcoming people from a Muslim faith, we don’t encourage people to come into the country who are going to be actively agitating for the introduction of a parallel legal system and expecting that Australia is obligated to adopt,” he said.
“It’s basically a wake-up call.”
Rev Slucki said his church included Middle Eastern Christian migrants who had experienced Islamic persecution in their homelands.
The nation’s peak Muslim body has called for a limited form of sharia law to be considered, such as for family law matters.
But Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner Helen Szoke said there was no place for sharia law in our multicultural society.
“I don’t think if you come into a country that you need to import sharia law or any other law,” she said.
“The laws of our land are sufficient for everyone who lives here irrespective of background.”
Federal Parliament’s joint standing committee on migration has also heard from the Australian Defence League, which has links to a controversial UK group.
ADL said “if you welcome more and more Muslims to this country, we will undoubtedly have more and more trouble. The ADL plans to take every lawful action ... to inhibit Islam in Australia.”