Rukhsana Noor, who discovered her marriage was not legally valid, wants to see a change in the law
Rukhsana Noor, who discovered her marriage was not legally valid, wants to see a change in the lawWWW.OHCOMMUNICATIONS.CO.UK

About 6 in 10 Muslim women who have had traditional Islamic weddings in Britain are not legally married, according to a survey.

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They have had a nikah marriage but 61% failed to go through a separate civil ceremony, recognised by the family courts.

If their marriage breaks down and they cannot agree on a division of assets, it means they must fight through the civil courts rather than start with a presumption that they will get an equal share.

The survey, of 923 women in the UK, was based on responses to community researchers rather than random sampling. The findings will be broadcast on Tuesday on Channel 4 in The Truth About Muslim Marriage.

Rukhsana Noor, a divorcée who appears in the report, told The…