Muslim Family Law in Australia: Conflicting or Compatible?

This chapter explores the similarities and differences between modern Australian family law and Islamic (Shari'a) family law and seeks to identify areas which are currently compatible and other areas where differences which appear on the surface to be irreconcilable might nevertheless be minimised or overcome by minor changes in the law so as to accommodate the beliefs, not only of Muslims but of othe.f minorities in Australia's increasingly multicultural society. In partIcular, the chapter will examine laws relating to divorce and alternative dispute resolution in both systems to see if any reconciliation is possible.