I found the thought processes in Stephen Cole’s letter of 21 June confusing. Sharia courts are in many ways analogous to Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Jewish and other faith-based juridical systems that have operated in the UK, in some cases, for centuries.These courts are based on religious principles, in some cases more demanding than English statute law. Some of the rulings of these courts may seem to go beyond statute law, but as I was told, “Just because a thing is legal, it does not make it moral”. Many of the instances of “Islamic” abuse that Stephen Cole cites are cultural, not religiously based. (Many were also common in England less than a century ago.)There are good Muslims who roundly condemn forced marriage, domestic violence, chi