17 January 2010

Austria: Majority of Turks want Sharia personal law incorporated into legal system

.... More than half of the approx. 220,000 Turkish immigrants - 2.65% of the 8.3 million people in Austria - want Islamic law introduced into the Austrian legal system.

Asked whether some parts of Islamic law (e.g. marriage, family and inheritance laws) should be incorporated into Austrian law, 50% agreed, 16% said it depended on which elements were incorporated and 22% were against it. Responses varied by education level and German language skills, but religion was the most decisive factor.

Close to 62% of religious-political Muslims agreed Sharia should be incorporated, compared to 41% of secular Muslims. In both groups, an additional 16% said it depends on what elements were to be incorporated. [Islam in Europe] Read more