Aina Khan awarded an Order of the Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for her outstanding work in the protection of women and children in unregistered marriages.
Aina has been lobbying for the UK government to amend the Marriage Act 1949 to make it compulsory for all faiths to register their marriage in the UK, with her campaign “Register our Marriage.” By having a legal marriage, women get their full legal rights. It is Aina’s extensive knowledge of Islamic family law, along with more than 25 years’ experience, that has led her to shine the light on this hidden ‘time bomb’. Aina sees this as a service to religious communities as well as the broader community in making change happen.
The honour recognises Aina’s ‘Services to the Protection of Women and Children in unregistered marriages’. Aina’s position is that all faith marriages should have legal protection in the UK, by being registered under civil law.