Inconvenient marriages, or what happens when ethnic minorities marry trans-jurisdictionally according to their self-chosen norms

The Utrecht Law Review is an open access, peer-reviewed journal. Articles published in the Utrecht Law Review are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).Initially published in The Utrecht Law Review: http://www.utrechtlawreview.org/ Volume 6, Issue 2 (June) 2010This article presents evidence of a trend in the practice of British immigration control of denying recognition to marriages which take place trans-jurisdictionally across national and continental boundaries and across different state jurisdictions. The article partly draws on evidence gleaned from the writer’s own experience of being instructed as an expert witness to provide opinions of the validity of such marriages, and partly on evidence from reported cases at different levels of the judicial system. The evidence demonstrates that decision making in this area, whether by officials or judges, often takes place in arbitrary ways, arguably to fulfil wider aims of controlling the immigration of certain population groups whose presence in the UK and Europe is increasingly seen as undesirable. However, and quite apart from the immigration control concerns underlying such actions, the field throws up evidence of the kinds of legal insecurity faced by those whose marriages are solemnized under non-Western legal traditions and calls into question respect for those traditions when they come into contact with Western officialdom

The Needs of the Stakeholders are the Seeds of Growth for the Organisation (Interview with Mr. G. Narayana)

A rare interview with a well-regarded leader of commerce in India is presented by the author, Dr. Shashank Shah. The interviewee, Mr. G. Narayana, is Chairman Emeritus of Excel Industries Ltd. (Excel). Mr. Narayana is noted for his ability to positively motivate people through kindness and the integration of spirituality in the workplace. His brand of leadership is characterized by a type of management philosophy that integrates the scientific principles of the West with the profound thought of Indian scriptures

A reflection on the Shari’a debate in Britain

This is the published version of this article. ‘A reflection on the Shari’a debate in Britain’. In: (2010) Vol. 13 Studia z Prawa Wyznaniowego (Studies of Ecclesiastical Law), pp. 71-98

Honour killings: Islamic and human rights perspectives

The issue of honour killing has become very acute in the Muslim countries/Asia in general and has got the attention of media and human rights groups in Pakistan in particular. This comment traces the origin of the notion of honour killing using Pakistan as case study. It also looks at the causes and abuses of the honour killing tradition and explores the Islamic as well as the legal dimension of this endemic issue in Pakistan. In addition, the Islamic law and human rights law positions will be considered and compared, to see whether or not both are compatible. The issue whether the tradition of honour killing is grounded in religion or culture will be looked at as well, together with the question of whether it is Islamic law or public perceptions of honour and shame, which need change

“Disabled people are sexual citizens too”: supporting sexual identity, well-being, and safety for disabled young people

Disabled young people are sexual beings, and deserve equal rights and opportunities to have control over, choices about and access to their sexuality, sexual expression and fulfilling relationships throughout their lives. This is critical to their overall physical, emotional and social health and wellbeing. However, societal misconceptions of disabled bodies being non-normative, Other or deviant has somewhat shaped how the sexuality of disabled people has been constructed as problematic under the public gaze. The pervasive belief that disabled people are asexual creates barriers to sexual citizenship for disabled young people, causing them to have lower levels of sexual knowledge and inadequate sex education compared to their non-disabled peers. As a consequence they are more vulnerable to ‘bad sex’ - relationships which are considered to be exploitative and disempowering in different ways. Access to good sex and relationships education (SRE) for disabled young people is, therefore, not only important for them to learn about sexual rights, sexual identity and sexual expression, but also about how to ensure their sexual safety. In so doing it will contribute to the empowerment and societal recognition of disabled people as sexual beings, and also help them resist and report sexual violence. Therefore, it is critical that parents, educationalists and health and social care professionals are aware and appropriately equipped with knowledge and resources to formally educate disabled young people about sexuality and wellbeing on par to their non-disabled peers