South Africa although gender segregation is not common within South African society. Sharia law in South Africa Marriage South Africa is one of the few Muslim minority countries in the world which is considering the implementation of Muslim Personal Law or Muslim Family Law. In 2003, a draft Muslim Marriages Bill was submitted to the Department of Justice. This would allow courts to enforce the marital regulations of sharia law, with the assistance of a Muslim judge and assessors familiar with Islamic law, to protect the rights of Muslim women. Proponents of the bill believe it would protect the rights of Muslim women as decisions made by legal scholars are not legally binding regarding financial settlements following a divorce. Questions have been raised about the need for a separate marriage bill for Muslims, and there is lack of consensus in the Muslim community itself on the need for, and structure of the bill. In 2009, an unsuccessful application was brought before the Constitutional Court of South Africa by a Muslim women's organisation, to compel the government to enact the Muslim Marriages bill. During the hearing, Judge Kate O'Regan stated that, "the question is whether it is acceptable for the state to take over the management of a particular religion". Judge Albie Sachs commented that "it's asking the courts to intrude, in a very profound way, on a very sensitive issue". Halaal certification There are a number of Halaal certification authorities, who certify food, retail edible items and restaurants as Halal. There is some disagreement between these organisations. The certifications carry considerable weight amongst South African Muslims. The most prominent Halaal certification authorities in South Africa are: Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) South African National Halaal Authority (SANHA) National Independent Halaal Trust (NIHT) Islamic Council of South Africa (ICSA) Education The majority of South African Muslims attend mixed gender public schools, while some attend private (mostly Catholic or Anglican) schools, where they are exempt from prayer sessions and Biblical curriculum. Islamic schools also exist under the control of the Association of Muslim Schools (AMS) as well as Madrasahs. The Islamic Schools under AMS offer a syllabus combining secular and Islamic studies. The secular syllabus is taken from the CAPS syllabus issued by the Department of Basic Education while the Islamic studies syllabus is taken from the Taalimi Board affiliated to the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa. Some institutions offer short courses on Islamic