In what can only be seen as at least a partial victory for Sharia law opponents in non-Muslim lands, legal experts in UK are abandoning the practice when it comes to drafting wills. As is usually the case, the action was brought about because enough people got mad.

The Telegraph reported:

The Law Society has withdrawn controversial guidelines for solicitors on how to compile “Sharia compliant” wills amid complaints that they encouraged discrimination against women and non-Muslims.

Andrew Caplen, president of the society, apologised and said the criticism had been taken on board.

It follows a storm of protest after The Telegraph disclosed in March that the society had issued a practice note to solicitors effectively enshrining aspects of Islamic law in the British legal system.

The guidelines advised High Street solicitors on how to write Islamic wills in a way that would be recognised by courts in England and Wales.

They set out principles which meant that women could be denied an equal share of inheritances while unbelievers could be excluded altogether.

The document also detailed how children born out of wedlock might not be counted as legitimate heirs.

Mr Caplen’s predecessor as president, Nicholas Fluck, strongly resisted criticism of the guidelines when details were published in March.

But in a short statement the society said it now had decided to withdraw them in light of “feedback” from the public and lawyers themselves.

As a liberal, multi-cultural society the UK obviously ran into a problem with sexual discrimination and appeasing Islam. In this case, it chose to rescind its support for sharia wills based on discrimination. In order to build on the momentum, the UK will have to start acknowledging that sharia is discriminatory in far more ways than in how wills are handled.

h/t BNI