Child marriage allegation

BBC News, Imam charged after children married in mosque, 2 Sep 2025

"Northamptonshire Police said Ashraf Osmani had been charged under forced marriage legislation after he allegedly conducted a Nikah wedding ceremony involving two 16-year-olds at Northampton Central Mosque in November 2023."

'They'

BBC Radio 4, Sarfraz Manzoor, 'They'

Sarfraz Manzoor's 'They' was a Book of the Week on Radio 4. It's a worthwhile listen. There are some references to the influence of social media too (on episode 3), but I recommend the whole series.

Discussion on "halala" marriages

Athar Ahmad, BBC News, The women who sleep with a stranger to save their marriage, 5 Apr 2017 "A number of online services are charging "divorced" Muslim women thousands of pounds to take part in "halala" Islamic marriages, a BBC investigation has found. Women pay to marry, have sex with and then divorce a stranger, so they can get back with their first husbands."

Forced Marriage Issues

Soeren Kern, Gatestone Institute, Britain's Underage Muslim Marriage Epidemic, October 15, 2013 "More than a dozen Muslim clerics at some of the biggest mosques in Britain have been caught on camera agreeing to marry off girls as young as 14." Also see ITV, Underage marriages 'agreed' which includes disclaimer from one of the mosques in the documentary. The full report is here. The ITV Exposure programme is still available to view via ITV Player until (around) 13 November 2013 for UK viewers.

Marriage Becomes Problem for UK Muslims

Marriage Becomes Problem for UK Muslims - Europe - News - OnIslam.net "Marriage has become a troubling problem for many Muslims in Britain as parents are finding difficulty in finding suitable partners for their children, forcing many to postpone it to older age."

New and noted: "E-Arranged Marriages: How have Muslim matrimonial websites affected traditional Islamic courting methods?"

Ayesha Ahmed, E-Arranged Marriages: How have Muslim matrimonial websites affected traditional Islamic courting methods? (LSE Electronic MSc Dissertation Series, No 93, 2012) [PDF] "The aim of this study was to examine the effects and impact that online Muslim matrimonial websites have on traditional Islamic courting methods. Through a thematic analysis of semistructured interviews with a sample of second generation British Asian Muslims, this study aimed to achieve an insight into how orthodox and traditional Islamic methods of finding a spouse are being challenged amongst this diaspora." I have just been alerted to this study, so haven't read it yet. The findings look useful.

BBC Radio 4 - Fathers' Daughters

BBC Radio 4 - Fathers' Daughters "The programme speaks to a number of Asian women from different religious and cultural backgrounds about their experiences with their fathers. Some of them have disturbing stories - women who have suffered from violent and abusive fathers, women who were forced into disastrous marriages, women who were cut out of their father's will and not treated equally to sons, women who attempted suicide. Some have cut all ties with their fathers and, as a consequence, the rest of their families. We hear from a girl whose father was liberal until the surrounding community convinced him to change his behaviour towards his daughter - but also talk to a father and his daughter who show the other side of the story with a loving, close and mutually respectful relationship."

Well-worth listening to.

Daily Mail on 'Islamic marriage guide'

FYI:

Daily Mail, 'Pull her by the ear, beat her by hand or stick': How the Islamic guide to a happy marriage advises husbands to treat their wives, 26 Mar 2012 "An Islamic 'marriage guide' book has sparked outrage - by advising men on the best ways to beat their wives.

 "A Gift For Muslim Couple tells husbands that they should beat their wives with 'hand or stick or pull her by the ears'.

 "But the book has faced a backlash from moderate Muslims who claim that it encourages domestic violence."

There's some reaction to this in the Washington Times, Marriage manual, "A Gift for a Muslim Couple" causes outrage in Canada, 26 Mar 2012

The book was written by Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvni (1863 – 1943) some years ago, but remains for sale. It seems that the 'controversy' started in Canada (background in al-Arabiya).

"UK Muslims, Sikhs Oppose Gay Marriage"

OnIslam, UK Muslims, Sikhs Oppose Gay Marriage, 20 Mar 2012 "Britain's Muslims and Sikhs have joined forces to oppose government plans to legalize same-sex marriages, describing the move as an assault on religion."

'British Muslims reviving polygamy'

IINA, Great Britain/Islam: British Muslims reviving polygamy, 27 Sep 2011 "A growing number of young British Muslims are taking second or third wives in an unexpected revival of polygamy, according to religious leaders."

Report: Britain urged to intervene to end forced marriages

Guardian/gulfnews : Britain urged to intervene to end forced marriages, 27 Jun 2011: "Plan UK will publish a report this week entitled Breaking Vows, which states that ten million under-18s become child brides every year. In developing countries in South America, North Africa and parts of Asia, one in three under-18 year olds, and one in seven of all girls under 15, are married."

First cousin marriages in Muslim communities

Sue Reid, Mail Online, It's time to confront this taboo: First cousin marriages in Muslim communities are putting hundreds of children at risk, 3 Jun 2011

A sensitive subject, explored in depth in this report.

Also see: Saira Khan, Mail Online, Deformed babies and a shameful conspiracy of silence, 3 Jun 2011 "Professor Jones’s research showed that children of first cousins were ten times more likely to have recessive genetic disorders and face deafness, blindness and infant mortality.

"This is a shocking statistic, which is why I’m grateful that someone has finally been prepared to stand up and say what many of us in Islamic communities have known for decades."

Other opinions will no doubt present themselves online.

Islam Channel Censored

FoxNews.com, Britain's Islam Channel Censored After Condoning Marital Rape, Violence Toward Women, 9 Nov 2010 "The U.K.'s T.V. watchdog, Ofcom, ruled the Islam Channel breached the broadcasting code in five different programs between May 2008 and October 2009."

Also see Daily Mail, Britain's Islam Channel rapped for advocating marital rape and calling women prostitutes, 9 Nov 2010 "A discussion programme in April 2009 on sexual relations within marriage was found to have breached guidelines, as was a programme in October 2009 in which it was said women who wore perfume outside the home could be declared 'a prostitute'."

Internet matchmaking

Jawd Mohamed, alarabiya.net, UK Muslims prefer internet matchmaking, 10 Nov 2010 "A considerable portion of Muslim men and women in Britain resort to a popular matchmaking website to look for spouses amid debates over the validity of internet marriages"

Marriage

Guardian, Sarfraz Manzoor: My family said they would boycott my wedding, 29 Sep 2010

"My mother and siblings were angry that I had fallen in love with a non-Muslim white woman. Then came a phone call ..."

Nice article + Springsteen reference...

'Love in a Headscarf'

illumemag.com, Love in a Headscarf: Muslim Bridget Jones"It took Shelina Zahra Janmohamed ten years of fixed blind-dates to find Mr. Right. An arranged marriage? Poor thing. A tradition that is “oh so old-fashioned,” and “uncool,” and receives instant sympathy. But guess what, Shelina’s story is anything but a misery memoir. Love in a Headscarf is an uplifting, honest, and, for a change, humorous account of a British Muslim woman in search of “the one.” It was recently launched in India and is currently number 2 on the bestseller list."

She also writes the blog Spirit21

Belfast

Belfast Telegraph, Court stops Muslim girls ‘being sent abroad for marriage’, 20 Apr 2010 "Two Muslim girls have been stopped from travelling abroad in what is thought to be the first case of its kind in Northern Ireland, after a judge feared they were being sent for forced marriages."

Islamic weddings 'chaos'

BBC News, Wedding chaos as Muslim marriages not recognised in UK, 3 Feb 2010 "A growing number of young Muslims in the UK are entering marriages that are not legally recognised, BBC Asian Network has found. This is because couples are having an Islamic wedding without the civil ceremony needed for the marriage to be recognised under British law." This includes an interview with Ghayasuddin Siddiqui of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, although the Muslim Parliament's website does not appear to have been updated on this issue. It does, however, have the details of the Muslim Marriage Contract, launched in 2008 by the Muslim Institute

Tulay Goren case

BBC News, Honour killing girl 'wanted love', 12 Oct 09 "A teenager allegedly murdered by her father in a so-called "honour killing" hated her family and wanted to run away, a court has heard." Refers to 1999 disappearance of Tulay Goren.

'Love at First Site'

BBC Radio 4, Love at First Site, "Sarfraz Manzoor explores the world of matrimonial websites aimed at the Asian diaspora around the world and the alternative they present to the traditional arranged marriage." Sounds fascinating. Only problem is that Radio 4 are not making it available on their Listen Again feature at present.

Also see Sarfraz Manzoor, The Guardian, Forget internet dating, this is online matchmaking, 24 Aug 09