Islamic law

Now to the controversial issue of whether Islamic law can be incorporated into national law in a multi-faith society.

In South Africa, this issue has been the subject of debate for some fifteen years, with no resolution in sight as yet.

Many members of the minority Muslim community would like to see Muslim Personal Law officially incorporated into national law.

But other Muslims disagree, because that would imply Islamic Law being subject to the national constitution.

Complicating the debate in South Africa over the possible incorporation of aspects of Muslim Personal Law into the national legal framework is that the country is so diverse in terms of religion, race and culture.

So can South Africa's Muslims look elsewhere in the world for guidance on a debate like this?

Fred Dove spoke to the BBC's Religious Affairs correspondent, Christopher Landau.