Privatizing Diversity: A Cautionary Tale from Religious Arbitration in Family Law

Theoretical Inquiries in Law, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 573-607, 2008

37 Pages Posted: 25 Jun 2008

See all articles by Ayelet Shachar

Ayelet Shachar

University of Toronto - Faculty of Law; affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: June 25, 2008

Abstract

Demands to accommodate religious diversity in the public sphere have recently intensified. The debates surrounding the Islamic headscarf (hijab) in Europe vividly illustrate this trend. We also find a new challenge on the horizon: namely, the request to "privatize diversity" through alternative dispute resolution processes that permit parties to move their disputes from public courthouses into the domain of religious or customary sources of law and authority. The recent controversies in Canada and England related to the so-called Shari'a tribunals demonstrate the potential force of the storm to come. In this Article, I offer an alternative to the presently popular vision of private diversity. This alternative is based on a deep commitment to women's identity and membership interests as well as their dignity and equality. Women's legal dilemmas often arise (at least in the family arena) from their allegiance to various overlapping systems of identification, authority and belief: in this case, those arising from religious and secular law. I argue that only recognition of women's multiple affiliations, and the subtle interactions among them, can help resolve these dilemmas. The recognition of multiple legal affiliations does not sit well with the traditional view that a clear line can be drawn between public and private, official and unofficial, secular and religious, or positive law and traditional practice. Instead, to recognize multiple affiliations is to require greater access to, and coordination among, these once competing sources of law and identity. Once we conceive of citizenship more richly, it becomes apparent that individuals and families should not be forced to choose between the rights of citizenship and group membership: instead, they should be afforded the opportunity to express their commitment to both. I offer a vision of how such an alternative might be realized.

Keywords: state and religion, gender equality, family law, faith-based arbitration, Shari'a tribunal, privatized justice, citizenship

Suggested Citation

Shachar, Ayelet and Shachar, Ayelet, Privatizing Diversity: A Cautionary Tale from Religious Arbitration in Family Law (June 25, 2008). Theoretical Inquiries in Law, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 573-607, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1151234

Ayelet Shachar (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN

University of Toronto - Faculty of Law ( email )

78 and 84 Queen's Park
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C5
Canada
416-978-1620 (Phone)
416-978-7899 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.law.utoronto.ca/faculty/shachar

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