Islam, Marriage Law and the Legal Framework of England and Wales
| Autor | Javier Garcia Oliva, Helen Hall |
| Cargo | Professor of Law Universidad de Manchester (Reino Unido)/Associate Professor Universidad de Nottingham Trent (Reino Unido) |
| Páginas | 137-162 |
Revista de Estudios Jurídicos y Criminológicos
ISSN-e: 2345-3456
N.º 6, julio-diciembre, 2022, pp. 137-162
Islam, Marriage Law and the Legal Framework of England and Wales
javier.oliva@manchester.ac.uk
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3565-4445
HELEN HALL
Associate Professor
Universidad de Nottingham Trent (Reino Unido)
helen.hall@ntu.ac.uk
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5553-9140
Abstract: This article examines Islam in Contemporary England and Wales, and asks what issues
faced by Muslims may reveal about the legal landscape more widely, using Marriage Law as a
case study. It opens with an overview of Religion, Islam and the Legal Framework in England
and Wales, before addressing the modern law on the solemnisation of marriages and current
proposals for reform. It then moves to examine the conscious choice of some Muslims to enter
into purely religious marriages, and discusses what this reveals about Muslim communities and
Recepción: 14/10/2022
Aceptación: 03/11/2022
Cómo citar este trabajo: GARCÍA OLIVA, Javier y HALL, Helen, “Islam, Marriage Law and the Legal
Framework of England and Wales”, Revista de Estudios Jurídicos y Criminológicos, n.º 6, Universidad
de Cádiz, 2022, pp. 137-162, DOI: https://doi.org/10.25267/REJUCRIM.2022.i6.05
JAV IER GARCÍA OLIVA
Professor of Law
Universidad de Manchester (Reino Unido)
Islam, Marriage Law and the Legal Framework of England and Wales
138
the overarching legal framework. In the concluding section, the piece then addresses what can be
learnt about two observable realities from Marriage Law: 1) the continued problematisation of
Muslims and Muslim Communities in popular and academic perception, and 2) the significance
of unregistered religious marriages for other voluntary adult partnerships outside of the system of
state registration
Keywords: religion; marriage; islam; constitutional culture; United Kingdom.
Summary: 1. INTRODUCTION. 2. ISLAM IN CONTEMPORARY ENGLAND AND
WALES. 3. RELIGION, ISLAM AND THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK IN ENGLAND AND
WALES. 4. MODERN LAW ON THE SOLEMNISATION OF MARRIAGES. 5. PROPOSALS
FOR REFORM. 5.1. The dangers of too readily recognising relationships as legally binding
marriages. 5.2. The conscious choice of some Muslims to enter into purely religious marriages.
6. MUSLIM COMMUNITIES AND THE WIDER LEGAL FRAMEWORK. 6.1. Noor. 6.2.
Holly. 7. ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS. 7.1. The Continued Problematisation of Muslims
and Muslim Communities. 7.2. Unregistered Marriages-A Tangible Problem. 8.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
1. INTRODUCTION
The English and Welsh nations belong to the diverse society which makes up the
contemporary United Kingdom.
1
The richness and variety of ethnicities, languages and
cultures nested within modern Britain are justly a source of pride for many individuals
and communities.
2
Nevertheless, it would be absurd to pretend that this Northern
European setting basks in utopia, while citizens exchange in exclusively harmonious and
creative dialogue. Lamentably, here as elsewhere, there are seams of racism and
prejudice, both conscious and unconscious,
3
as well as the taint of Islamophobia infecting
European culture more widely.
4
It is also important to bear in mind that alongside these negative and discriminatory
realities, there are legitimate debates about optimal approaches to adapting legal
provisions and mechanisms to meet the needs of an ever-changing society. Reforming the
law is rarely straightforward in any setting, because most problems are multifaceted and
the range of available solutions often present competing advantages and drawbacks,
rather than a single clear and obvious path. Regulatory structures crafted in previous
1
HARGREAVES, J., KESSLER, E., IZAMOJE, D. AND SYMON, A., How We Get Along: The Diversity
Study of England and Wales 2020, The Woolf Institute, Cambridge, 2020.
2
KHAN, A’, “Ethic Diversity Makes Britain’s Culture Great: It would be a disaster if we lost it”, The
Guardian, 10/7/2019, (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/10/diversity-uk-britain-
culture-arts-sport, consulta: 22/10/2022).
3
PITCHER, B., The Politics of Multiculturalism: Race and Racism in Contemporary Britain, Springer,
London, 2009.
4
JONES, S. AND UNSWORTH, A., The Dinner Table Prejudice: Islamophobia in Contemporary Britain,
University of Birmingham, Birmingham, 2022.
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