Modern Traditions in Muslim Marriage Practices, Exploring English Narratives

dc.cclicenceCC-BYen
dc.contributor.authorAkhtar, Rajnaaraen
dc.date.acceptance2018-08-03en
dc.date.accessioned2018-09-04T13:18:21Z
dc.date.available2018-09-04T13:18:21Z
dc.date.issued2018-08-16
dc.descriptionOpen access articleen
dc.description.abstractMarriages formed by religious ceremonies which are not legally recognized are often cited as synonymous with unregistered Muslim marriages. The conceived illegitimacy of such unions and the need for legal interventions has been raised in political discourse in the UK, as such marriages are deemed to counter women’s rights and wider legal and cultural norms. The recent independent review into the application of sharia law in England and Wales in particular brought the issue of legal reform to the fore. This article uses the concept of liminality to argue that these relationships may in fact indicate signs of integration, not isolation. Liminality is employed here to signify a process of transition from one set of cultural norms to another, and unregistered religious-only marriages in this theoretical framework represent a transition from state recognized unions, towards the widely accepted cultural norm of cohabitation. This new cultural practice remains in flux. This article draws on empirical research seeking to explore ‘English narratives’ where Muslim marriage practices are concerned. Focus group discussions and discourse analysis methodology are utilized to explore marriage practices in order to ascertain emerging norms and the perceived need or otherwise to register marriages with the state. These narratives are key to understanding the trend towards unregistered marriages. This article explores two key thematic areas which emerged in this research, namely, (i) integration: to register or not to register; and (ii) categories of Nikah.en
dc.exception.reasonThe output was published as gold open accessen
dc.funderEuropean Research Council (seed-corn funding), Socio-Legal Scholars Association (Mentorship Award)en
dc.identifier.citationAkhtar, R.C. (2018) Modern Traditions in Muslim Marriage Practices, Exploring English Narratives. Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, 7 (3), pp. 427-454en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1093/ojlr/rwy030
dc.identifier.issn2047-0770
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2086/16531
dc.language.isoenen
dc.peerreviewedYesen
dc.projectidERC Project 2013-AdG-324180en
dc.publisherOxford University Pressen
dc.researchinstituteCentre for Law, Justice and Societyen
dc.subjectMuslim marriageen
dc.subjectunregistered marriageen
dc.subjectreligious-only marriageen
dc.subjectnikahen
dc.subjectliminalityen
dc.titleModern Traditions in Muslim Marriage Practices, Exploring English Narrativesen
dc.typeArticleen

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