Muslim couples should be legally required to have a civil marriage in addition to an Islamic ceremony, a government-ordered review of Sharia law has concluded.
The measure would mean more women had protection under family law and would face “less discriminatory practices”, according to the independent assessment.
It also called for regulation of Sharia councils, which deal with aspects of Islamic law, but the proposal was immediately dismissed by the Government.
As home secretary, Theresa May launched the review to explore whether Sharia law was being misused or applied in a way that was incompatible with domestic law in England and Wales.
A report detailing the findings published on Thursday said the vast majority of people using Sharia councils were women seeking an Islamic divorce.
Examples of “bad practice” included inappropriate questioning on personal relationship matters and women being invited to make concessions to their husbands in order to secure a divorce.
In one instance a forced marriage victim was asked to attend a council at the same time as her family, according to the report.
https://www.aol.co.uk/news/2018/02/01/sharia-law-review-recommends-civil-marriage-requirement-for-musl/
