How could I get married as a Muslim in UK, what procedures are needed?
Answer
Yes, you can get married as a Muslim in the UK. You will need to do the civil marriage at the registry office first and once you have done that, then you bring your marriage certificate and an Islamic marriage can be conducted in the mosque. If you do need authorization from the Home Office, you will need to get the required authorization to conduct a marriage in the UK and then once you finished it, you come to the Imam and he will conduct your marriage.
Name
Sohaila Mohamed
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
To which extent do you consider the recent suggestion of the top British Judge as an added value when it comes to Muslims in UK?
Answer
Well, I think opening the issue again specially from someone like the top British Judge has two indications: Firstly, it reflects the understanding of such esteemed personnel at this high level of the needs of the Muslims in the UK in addition to the availability of accommodating the Islamic personal law into the British law. Secondly, it calls every sane person to start a serious discussion towards the activation and the application of such laws as part of catering for the needs of one important component in the British society i.e. Muslims.
I think, this will be a step towards application and I expect some kind of development in this regard.
Name
A British Convert
-
Profession
Question
What are the British Government's fears over applying Shari`ah law in UK?
Answer
Well, the amount of misconceptions raised by the media campaign, the wrong application of Shari`ah in some Muslim countries that claim applying the Shari`ah make it look like a monster. People think, well, if Shari`ah is applied then a society of people with chopped hands, flogged adulterers and alcoholics will be there. They do not know that when we talk about Shari`ah here, we are speaking about a whole system of morality and education in which punishment represents a very small part. Yet, even this part is not going to be in application here. That is one thing. The other thing is that Muslims in the UK are already applying the Shari`ah in the sense of this great law of morality and conduct. What they need to facilitate their life is basically a cancellation of the duality of the marriage and divorce procedures that create more problems and a governmental authorisation for Shari`ah councils to make things easier as the Islamic scholars know the ins and the outs of it. The load on the courts will be lessened by this and people’s life will be easier.
Name
Mostafa Qurany
- Tajikistan
Profession
Question
What are your main justifications behind your call for accommodating Shari`ah law with British civil law in UK?
Answer
I think I tackled this point before, but here again in points:
1- At the moment the marriage and divorce procedures are very difficult as a Muslim has to go through dual process in both cases which create a mess specially in case of divorce. For instance, calculation of woman’s waiting period is difficult in case of divorce, does it start from the point when the divorce was filed, or issue or what?
2- Some people use the duality of the system to be evasive and confront the decisions of Shari`ah councils which is deeply involved in these by resorting to the court utilising this weak point that Shari`ah councils’ decision are not enforced by law.
3- This does not contradict with British values as the Jewish personal law is already in place and the experience has already been seen, what is needed is just a serious discussion about one more module.
Name
M*
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
I believe that Shari`ah can't be applied in a non-Islamic country like UK even on Muslims…as they have to abide by the laws of the government and separate between their religion and laws…
Answer
First of all, I always look to the whole world and say that all countries at the moment is part of the creation of Allah and since a Muslim is the servant of Allah, he should consider all lands as the lands of Allah and live there. Yes, Muslims have to abide by the law and part of their abidance by the law is to ask the government to offer all types of welfare for them to make them citizens of rights and responsibilities equal to everyone else in the society.
Placing the code of Shari`ah in matters relating to personal law is one of these rights that has nothing to do with whether religion is linked with government or not. Where does the law itself come from? The issue of separating religion and state is a very long debateable issue that reflects two variant theories and experiences; the Muslim experience and the Western experience and I am not going to delve into it here. The only thing I want to stress is, placing Islamic personal law into the British law should not be seen as an attempt of linking religion with law, rather, it is linking rights belonging to communities with the law which is there to serve the welfare of these communities within the frame of general morality system and equal rights.
Name
2005 Bombings
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Do you believe that British Muslims are living now bad lives after the bombings of 2005?
Answer
Of course the 2005 Bombings were a catastrophic thing for the whole British society, it was as harmful for Muslims as to everyone else. Yet, I believe that hard times, sometimes, teach people how to be smarter and speak up for their rights. Of course, Muslims are having bad times now, not that bad though. .
But Muslims should not sit down crying and bewailing their bad luck, they should use the challenges they have nowadays to make themselves known more to the society and show the truths of Islam, show some kind of positivism in cooperating with the larger society to combat terrorism and face the common challenges together. They should play vital role in making the British society feel their existence and contribution.
Name
Mokaram Salem
-
Profession
Question
I am based in London, do you think that moving to Birmingham will help me to practice Islam and apply Sharia more than London?
Answer
I always consider myself a London man, London is the hub of the majority of activities in the UK. It is the den of vibrancy and interaction. In a society like this, I think you can apply the Shari`ah more as you have a lot of lectures, talks, circles, exhibitions and other stuffs which can increase your sense of Islam and make you more committed.
In addition, I think Shari`ah sense grows when we attach it to ourselves; rather than the environment around you. If someone lives in London and within all the challenges he has, he wakes up for Fajr on time, he is applying the Shari`ah in this sense in this environment and I think this is excellent. Escaping is not a solution, and Shari`ah is applied by people in places not vice versa.
Name
Mosaad Fathy
-
Profession
Question
What do you think would be the impacts of Lord Nicholas Phillips' suggestion after Dr. Rawan William recent call concerning the same target?
Answer
I am thinking of one of two scenarios:
1- Either this will lead to a serious debate on what next step should be taken towards the activation of what he said, as two big people have already spoken about this issue i.e. him and Dr Williams.
2- Or, this will open a new fire against Shari`ah and campaigns will restart again, but not as much fierce as before.
Let’s hope for the first scenario!
Name
Moslema
-
Profession
Question
What do you think of the recent escalation of the Shari`ah in UK?
Answer
I think opening this issue again is quite good, who knows, it may lead to more tanigable work and I hope that some balanced Muslim scholars are invited by government bodies to discuss and turn the theory into practice and see what could be done for accomodating the welfare of the Muslim communities into the British law.
Name
Joe Malik
-
Profession
Question
What is the future of the British Muslims in your opinion?
Answer
First of all, the future is known to Allah and He knows the unseen, but we are told to work and always be optimistic. With this said, I believe the future of British Muslims depends on them, how do they want to see themselves in it. This is the time for exploring weaknesses and problems and discussing them, defining challenges and putting work plans. But these plans have to be turned into action. I see a raising of young British Muslims and more roles are being played by them, which is a very positive thing. British Muslims have moved from the stage of established community to the stage of community establishments and this needs a lot of professionalism and I think young Muslims have got these potentials and will be able to do it.
Name
Radwa Khorshid
-
Profession
Question
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Answer
This session has come to an end.
We would like to thank Ahmad Saad for speaking to IslamOnline.net viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue.
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