Dr Rajnaara Akhtar

De Montfort University Leicester

Dr Rajnaara received her PhD from the University of Warwick in 2013, where she continued as a part-time lecturer before joining Leicester De Montfort University Law School in February 2016. Her research focussed on Legal pluralism, dispute resolution and Muslim Family Law.

Her current research interests include unregistered marriages in Britain with a focus on normative influences, legal consequences, autonomy and cultural expression. Rajnaara co-hosted in international conference on unregistered Muslim marriages which took place at Leicester De Montfort University in April 2017. The outputs of this conference are 2 Special Issue journal publications in the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion and the Sociology of Islam.

Rajnaara obtained an LLM in Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham and is also a qualified solicitor, having trained with international law firm Eversheds LLP.

Relevant Publications:

• Rajnaara C. Akhtar, Rebecca Probert and Annelies Moors (2018) ‘Informal Muslim Marriages: Regulations and Contestations’, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, Volume 7 Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwy036
• Annelies Moors, Rajnaara C. Akhtar and Rebecca Probert (2018) ‘Contextualizing Muslim Religious-Only Marriages’, Sociology of Islam, Volume 6 Issue 3. [FORTHCOMING]
• R.C. Akhtar (2018) ‘Modern Traditions in Muslim Marriage Practices, Exploring English Narratives’ Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, Volume 7 Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwy030
• Rajnaara Akhtar (2018) ‘The human right to marry: a refugee’s perspective’, Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 40:2, 262-269, DOI: 10.1080/09649069.2018.1451013.
• R.C. Akhtar (2018) ‘Unregistered Muslim Marriages in the UK; Examining Normative Influences Shaping Choice of Legal Protection’, in M.C. Foblets (et al) (Eds) (2018), Personal Autonomy in Plural Societies, A Principle and its Paradoxes, Routledge: Law and Anthropology.
• R.C. Akhtar, ‘Unregistered Muslim Marriages: An Emerging Culture of Celebrating Rites and Compromising Rights’, in R Probert, J Miles and P Mody (2015) Marriage Rites and Rights, Hart Publishing, Oxford
• R. C. Akhtar, (2013) ‘Towards Conceptualising User-Friendly Shariah Councils’ Journal of Islamic State Practice in International Law, Volume 9, Issue 2, pp 112-135.