'It's not all about cutting hands off'

London: The head of the Islamic Sharia Council has defended the use of Muslim laws in Britain.

Dr Suhaib Hasan, secretary of the Leytonstone-based body, backed the Archbishop of Canterbury's calls and said Sharia courts had been operating in Britain for over 25 years.

Dr Hasan said his council had dealt with more than 5,000 divorce cases since it was established in 1982 and was struggling to keep up with the pace of demand from Muslims seeking arbitration.

"It is not all about cutting people's hands off and stoning - that is one aspect of Sharia," he said. "We do not have any enforcement powers and neither are we asking for any. People come to us with issues to do with Muslim personal law such as divorce and inheritance."