Britain's first official sharia law court is operating in Leicestershire.

The Muslim Arbitration Tribunal has already used the Islamic religious law to settle more than 100 civil disputes.

The tribunal – which settles matters such as divorce and inheritance disputes between Muslims – was set up by lawyers at Hijaz College Islamic University, in Watling Street, between Hinckley and Nuneaton, in December.

The court does not rule on criminal cases but on disputes involving civil contracts.

It specialises in helping people who want to resolve disputes under Islamic law without having to spend time and money going through the courts.

The tribunal also helps victims of forced marriages.

Faizul Aqtab Siddiqi, a barrister and head of Hijaz College, near Higham-on-the-Hill, said: "We are simply offering an alternative to going before a judge. If your case can be held in an informal room with experts, you should be given that choice.

"The general public should welcome this. We cannot be led by people's prejudices and bigotry, we should be enriching mainstream community and if we can resolve some of the issues people go through, what can be wrong with that?"

He also said the tribunal would help eliminate forced marriages.

Legally, anybody can devise their own way of settling a dispute in front of a third party as long as both sides agree to the process.

This applies to unofficial sharia councils and the Jewish Beth Din courts, which already exist in Britain.

Suleman Nagdi, spokesman for Leicestershire Federation of Muslim Organisations, said the tribunal should not be confused with the penal court systems in Islamic countries.

He said: "This is certainly not about changing English law.

"It's very much like the Acas service, where two parties come together to sort out contract disputes. I believe it could reduce the amount of cases that put pressure on the court system.

"We respect the laws of this country and this is no way seeks to replace them."

In February, the Archbishop of Canterbury provoked controversy when he said the adoption of certain aspects of sharia law in the UK seemed unavoidable.

Sughra Ahmed, from the Islamic Foundation in Leicestershire, said it was important the tribunal was open about what it did. She said: "Arbitration is obviously a good thing where there is any type of conflict but this must be done in a transparent, honest and open way.

"Divorce, for instance, is a very sensitive issue and, as a woman, you have to feel they can be trusted not just to have the necessary information but also to respect your confidence."