European Union Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

European Union Law - Essay Example Muslims of Europe have fashioned a life-style and understanding of religion that can be labelled as European Islam that is diverse from that of their country of origin.2 As a result, the Muslim community within Western Europe is increasingly considered as â€Å"European community,† transnational in nature and connected by a common religion labelled as â€Å"Euro-Islam† by both scholars and policy makers. The notion of Euro-Islam outlines a liberal variety of Islam that is embraced by both Muslim migrants and to European societies and encompasses the same religion of Islam, but culturally modified to encompass European ideas of secularity and individual citizenship in line with the contemporary notions of modernity, as well as a comprehending of tolerance that surpasses the Islamic tolerance. Recent events within Europe have pushed Shari’a (Islamic law) to the centre of media attention and debate. Right from the assassination of Theo van Gogh in 2004 to the contro versial endorsement of Sharia law by Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams in 2008, the proceedings have sparked both harsh criticism and solid support of the internalization of Islam within European law and society at large. The politicization of Sharia law has generated discrepancies in these debates yielding to storm over initially embraced aspects on Islamic law while obscuring Islamic traditions that bear the potential to reconcile Sharia and western norms.3 Background Globalization and migration have served to render European societies multicultural to an unprecedented extent since 1945, and has increasingly heralded multicultural life into the court rooms and administrative institutions. In Western European countries, today, a considerable part of the population is Muslim. Since the 1950s, Muslim minorities have steadily emerged in Europe as a result of decolonization, labour migration, conflict, and civil strife within their home countries. Majority of the of Muslim popul ation entered Europe as asylum seekers owing to conflict at home countries while others came to Europe in pursuit of a higher standard of living.4 As a result, Islam had become public within Europe and over 15 million immigrants originating from Muslim-majority countries have settled within European nations over the period. This has necessitated a shift in discourse in identifying these groups, initially as migrant labourers, ethnic minorities, and eventually as a religious community.5 Islam has adapted to diverse times and places yielding to various forms of religiosity. The adaptation of Muslim religiosity within Europe has been addressed by diverse scholars as encompassing a shift from â€Å"Islam in Europe.† Majority has addressed the reinterpretation of Islam as arising from the changing concerns and needs of young Muslims; the decline in religious authority; and, the introduction of secular, liberal democracy among European states. There is a growing agreement that Isla m is gradually becoming â€Å"European,† but the major contention lies in the content and process of this Europeanization.6 The bulk of the studies on this subject centres on the normative and post-modern approaches whereby the Europeanization of Islam is perceived to arise from the individualization of religious authority among Muslims.7 Some people projects that if the present trend persists, then it

Mental Health Court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mental Health Court - Essay Example The judge granted the request but appointed the court to be the one to manage and monitor the treatment instead of the parents. According to one of the court reporters that I sat with, the case I heard occurs every day in 95b. One of the reasons mentioned in the hearing was that the defendant did not finish his treatment because he opted to work instead of attending treatment and was not dissuaded from doing so by his parents. It made me realize that though there are already significant channels being provided for mental health by the judicial system for those who need it, they are not being fully utilized. The danger is that these conditions can escalate the offense committed that is disincentive both to offenders who have conditions and those the crimes are committed against. When the court appointed one its own officers to oversee the treatment of the defendant who was still a minor, I realized the degree by which the courts have had to take a more active role in rehabilitating offenders. According to the UK based Democratic Health Network, health services should have greater responsibility in ensuring that courts be enlightened regarding the condition of individuals who have mental illness who have committed crimes.