COC:

Premier Dalton McGuinty is learning that when he offends religious groups, they don’t necessarily turn the other cheek. Jewish organizations have responded bluntly that the premier has insulted them, trampled rights, ignored history, rammed government into their places of worship and made a tragic mistake. They are annoyed because McGuinty is pushing through a law under which Ontario will no longer enforce rulings made by faith-based courts on family law issues such as division of property and child custody. McGuinty brought it in mainly because of concern sharia family law used in the expanding Muslim community favours men, but it also will not recognize adjudications by rabbinical courts used by Jews for many years…..Representatives of Orthodox Jews said that community unanimously wants to keep rabbinical courts, which they claim have operated without problems. New Democrat committee member MPP Peter Kormos pointed to a concern of many that it is difficult to know whether faith-based courts are fair, because they operate in secret. Complaints that rabbinical courts discriminate against women also have been made. The Jewish spokespersons offered some glimpse into this little-known world. They claimed rabbinical courts follow the most desirable principles in family law, trying first counseling and then mediation to save marriages in a system that dates back to Moses….The hearings probably will reinforce McGuinty in his refusal to recognize Muslims’ sharia law. He may see more merit in Jews’ claims, but he will find it difficult to give one religion something that he has denied to another.