Unregistered Muslim Marriage

24 – 25 April 2017

9am-6pm

Leicester Castle Business School – De Montfort University, Leicester

• List of speakers and titles of papers
• Download the event poster
• Conference Programme

The conference papers shall focus on one of more of the themes below:

1. The problematization and politicization of non-state registered Muslim marriages – with a particular focus on the conditions under which these marriages have become an issue of debate, who the central actors are within this discourse and with what effects.

2. How does the notion of non-state registered marriages (in some contexts labelled as ‘urfi) travel and how is the practice affected by growing transnational migration, mobility and immobility?

3. The legal and social interplay between religious and civil marriages, in particular the regulation by nation-states of religious and civil marriages and the tenets of such regulation. Further, the question of how this is affected by the increased culturalization of citizenship?

4. The ceremonial rites and features associated with non-state registered Muslim marriages – with a particular focus on authority and contestations to the performance of such ceremonies from the position of religious authorities and/or activists, potentially leading to the question of polygamy in the context of unregistered marriages.

5. The underlying causes and motivations surrounding non-state registered Muslim marriages – including social/community norms, socio-legal considerations, normative religious influences, ethical dilemmas and pragmatic dimensions.

6. The significance, impact and effect of socio-demographic profiles of the parties concerned – with particular focus on geographic location, professed religiosity, nationality, ethnicity, class, education, age, etc.

7. The impact of non-registration on conflict resolution and divorce proceedings – with particular focus on practice and process for obtaining a religious divorce, and modes and forums for dispute resolution including critical analysis of the role of the mosques, religious institutions and Shariah Councils.

8. The potential human rights implications arising from the lack of state recognition of religious-only marriages – with particular focus on the ECHR Articles 8 right to family life and Article 14 non-discrimination provisions.