The Wire

Should the traditional customs of immigrants be allowed to influence the legal system of the country they emigrate to? Do ethnic groups deserve sympathy from the courts once they constitute a particular percentage of the population? Western Europe has been battling these questions for years. And a German Judge recently caused scandalous headlines for using Islamic Sharia Law to determine a case involving domestic violence. Sociologist at the Australian National University, Dr Rachel Bloul, specialises in the cultural politics of Muslim migration to Western Europe and speaks about the latest case.