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Young Muslims 'entering into marriages that aren't legally recognised'
Posted by Emily Jones
A rising number of young Muslims in the UK are entering into marriages which are not recognised under British law.
This is according to the BBC Asian Network, which suggested that such people are having Islamic ceremonies but are neglecting to hold the civil ceremonies required to make their unions valid in the eyes of the law.
One example provided by the news provider is that of Shaheeda Khan, who tied the knot with her partner in a religious gathering and only realised that this was not recognised by the authorities when she was asked for a wedding certificate while enrolling for higher education.
Commenting on the issue, legal expert Aina Khan said: "The problem is extremely widespread and it's an increasing time bomb because it's affecting mostly young Muslims, who are under 30 or in their early 30s."
She also pointed out that people who fall into this category have no protection if their spouse leaves them or dies.
Recently, the Office for National Statistics released figures which showed that the number of couples who filed for divorce in England and Wales in 2008 was down by 2.5 per cent compared with the previous 12-month period.
04/02/2010 16:07
News category: Family