On 10 June 2015, Aina Khan held a ‘Register Our Marriage’ Roadshow in London.
Aina’s presentation was followed by brief talks by leading QCs and law professors. The packed audience then discussed the importance of registering UK religious marriages under civil law. Around 80% of young British Muslims are in unregistered religious only marriages and that this is growing rapidly. With a population of nearly 3 million Muslims, this leaves potentially 100,000 couples vulnerable, with no legal rights upon divorce, inheritance, widow or next of kin compensation or pension rights.
Given the shocking deficiency in quantitative and qualitative data (coupled with the paucity of individuals bridging the divide between religious scholars and legal experts with experience of the realities of Muslim marriage), intellectual paralysis has set in. With this in mind, and facing daily calls from clients asking for legal advice under English law, Aina Khan initiated the ‘Register Our Marriage’ campaign. Road shows have taken place around the UK to facilitate reform by Muslims themselves, as well as to lobby for legal reform to close the loopholes.
As part of the ‘Register Our Marriage’ Roadshow, a set of distinctive and innovative mechanisms are to be put in place to address the situation;
a) A wide-ranging survey on Muslim marriage and divorce (launched on 30 September 2014)
b) A strong social media campaign to quickly reach the under 30s
c) A nationwide series of road shows visiting major UK cities
d) A series of webinars and blogs with ‘How To’ guides on Muslim marriage and divorce
e) Training materials for Mosques and wedding venues to register marriages
f) Disseminating the widely recognised Islamic narrative of formally recognised marriage and unequivocal financial support of wives and children (supported by leading scholars and
g) Setting up of local ‘Women only’ Sharia Councils to grant Islamic divorces to women who do not have the power of divorce given in the Islamic marriage contract
For more information on the ‘Register Our Marriage’ Project, please contact Aina Khan on 020 7932 8468.
Read more here.