Police have been accused of turning a blind eye to the spread of Sharia courts in Britain, as newly released Government figures show less than three per cent of so-called “honour crimes” were successfully prosecuted last year.
The data shows authorities are consistently failing to prosecute and prevent honour-based abuse, which can include offences such as female genital mutilation (FGM), homicide (honour killings) and forced marriage.
Campaigners are warning that the “privatisation of justice” within some Muslim communities through Sharia courts makes it harder for the state to intervene.
They say this has fostered a parallel justice system operating behind closed doors with no state oversight.
Nick Timothy MP, shadow justice secretary, told the Telegraph: “There can only be one rule of law – but the British state has turned a blind eye to Sharia courts spreading across our country.
“This is allowing so-called ‘honour’ crimes and abuse to go unpunished. While we know there is a huge problem, police officers and prosecutors are not doing their job and locking up these zealots.
“Forced marriage and FGM have no place in a modern society. It is time to crack down on this behaviour and hold the line against the Islamists who would destroy the British way of life”.
Last year, 2,949 honour-related offences were recorded in Britain, but only 95 defendants were prosecuted.
Critics claim ‘shadow system’ of Sharia courts undermines British justice | GETTYIn 2023/24, 2,755 offences were registered, but there were only 80 corresponding prosecutions – In 2022/23, there were 3,008 recorded incidents, and just 68 successful prosecutions.
Between 2015 and 2024, the Metropolitan Police recorded more than 1,000 reports of female genital mutilation.
Some 109 cases of FGM were reported to police last year alone, while a further 111 were recorded in 2023/24 – almost double the 65 FGM cases reported to authorities in 2019/2020.
FGM has been illegal in England and Wales for nearly 40 years, however despite the number of reported cases, there have been only three criminal convictions in Britain – the first of which, relating to a three-year-old girl, was secured in 2019.
Meanwhile, some 766 forced marriages were reported to police between 2020 and 2025, but just 118 resulted in prosecution.
There were 125 reported cases in 2024/25, 201 in 2023/24, 173 in 2022/23 and 141 in 2021/2022.
The corresponding prosecution numbers were 30 in 2024/2025, 27 in 2023/24, 20 in 2022/2023, 33 in 2021/2022 and eight in 2020/2021.
There are believed to be as many as 85 Sharia councils operating in Britain.
The majority of sharia councils are all men | GETTYThese bodies – which are not bound by the Arbitration Act which guarantees some level of Governmental regulation – primarily manage family and marital affairs, including divorce and remarriage.
Previous investigations have found imams in Britain facilitating underage marriage and polygamy, as well as encouraging women to return to abusive husbands.
There have also been allegations of so-called “pleasure marriages”, for men who wish to have sex with women who are not their wives.
Rebecca Paul MP, a Conservative member of the Commons Women and Equalities Committee, said: “There is nothing at all ‘honourable’ about these crimes – they are attacks on women and girls who dare to make their own choices on what they wear, who they love and what they do in life.
“This is unacceptable in modern Britain.
“Close-knit clannish structures within isolated, unintegrated communities allow such violence to continue unreported and unchallenged.
“More tailored support for Muslim women facing domestic abuse is needed along with a more assertive approach to integration”.
