Six in Ten Muslim Marriages in Britain Not Legally Binding, Women Forced into Polygamous Relationships, by Jack Montgomery.

An investigation suggests almost two-thirds of Muslim wives in Britain were married in Nikah ceremonies which are not legally binding, leaving them unprotected by family courts.

The survey of 923 women, conducted by 20 Muslim female community researchers for public broadcaster Channel 4, also found that over a tenth of Muslim wives are in polygamous relationships, with 37 per cent of them admitting they were forced into their arrangements unwillingly.

One woman who did not even realise her marriage was polygamous told the programme — The Truth About Muslim Marriage — that her husband had repeatedly put off following the Nikah ceremony with a civil marriage, which would have given her a number of important legal protections with respect to her children and the division of assets.

She eventually “found out that he had been married to another woman for 13 years before he met her and had another wife as well. When she refused to carry on in a polygamous marriage, she was unable to get a divorce as she had only had a Nikah. She had to sell her house and most of her assets and ended up homeless and had a mental breakdown.”

hat-tip Stephen Neil