There is nothing in Western countries' laws that discriminates against Muslim marriages, but many immigrant wives -- 90%, says a new study -- are legally unmarried because there was no civil license or celebration, or because they are second, third or fourth wives. And that non-recognition is very convenient for the husbands, because as legal strangers the wives have no occupancy, property or maintenance rights under most Western countries' laws. Often, the women know nothing about this until it is too late. But does this mean that there should be less, or more, recognition of, and legal accomodation to, these marriages and Shari'a generally?
New report on UK sharia ‘marriages’ exposes “tip of the iceberg”
Aurat: Supporting Women, via the National Secular Society, Wed, 10 Dec 2014
Based on "Equal and Free? 50 Muslim Women's Experiences of Marriage in Britain Today"