A job role for a sharia court administrative position advertised on a UK Government website has sparked anger as MPs blast it as "incompatible" with the "way of British life".
MPs have shared their outrage after discovering the job ad posted on the Department for Work and Pensions' Find a Job platform, for an annual salary of £23,500 at Manchester Community Centre in Didsbury.
The position requires candidates to hold a degree in sharia law and demonstrate prior experience working within Islamic courts in Muslim nations.
The job also seeks someone to handle administrative and secretarial duties for Manchester Sharia Council, including the management and coordination of social and sharia-related services.
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|A job role for a sharia court administrative position advertised on a Government website has been blasted as 'incompatible' with the 'way of British life'
Independent MP Rupert Lowe has written to Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall expressing his "absolute alarm and disgust" at the advertisement.
His letter reads: "The DWP is promoting and facilitating the embedding of a parallel legal system in the United Kingdom."
Lowe argues that "Sharia law has no place operating as a recognised legal framework within our country. It is fundamentally incompatible with British law, and our very way of life."
The MP also demanded information about who authorised the job listing and called for its immediate removal from the platform.
Nigel Farage responded to the job role saying: "Our country and its values are being destroyed."
While Reform's Zia Yusuf added: "There is only one legal system in the UK. Any attempt to upend or replace it should be illegal."
Conservative MP Peter Bedford suggested civil servants may have acted without political oversight.
"I would be aghast if a politician signed off allowing recruitment for this type of role. I suspect, once again, this is the out-of-control civil service creating and implementing policy contrary to democratic authority. This must stop," he added.
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|The Sharia Council of Britain preside over marital cases at their east London headquarters
The controversy follows revelations that Britain hosts as many as 85 sharia courts, making it the western hub for such institutions.
The religious bodies have become increasingly influential, drawing Muslims from across Europe and North America who seek religious rulings on marriage and family matters.
The councils, typically consisting of panels of Islamic scholars who are almost always male, serve as informal bodies issuing religious rulings particularly focused on marriages and divorces.
These marriages often require religious rulings for dissolution, particularly affecting women who must seek approval from sharia councils for divorce.
Many aspects of traditional sharia have been modified in most Muslim countries, but classical rulings are frequently still observed in marriage and divorce matters.
An estimated 100,000 Islamic marriages have been conducted in Britain, with many not officially registered with civil authorities.
A DWP spokesman said: "This is a position being advertised on the Find A Job portal by an independent registered charity and is not within DWP.
"Find A Job is a free platform to help jobseekers find vacancies with employers from various sectors."