Excerpt:
The City Circle is pleased to host the launch of the Muslim Marriage Contract prepared by the Muslim Institute. The speakers will be Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, Director of the Muslim Institute, Mufti Barkatulla, Islamic Shari'ah Council, Cassandra Balchin, Muslim Women Network UK, Maulana Shahid Raza, Imams and Mosques Council UK and Shaykh Usama Hasan, City Circle.
The new Contract - launched on the day - provides women entering a Muslim marriage written proof of their marriage and of the terms and conditions agreed between the spouses. In the absence of such proof, women have faced particular difficulties in securing the financial rights guaranteed to them under the Shari'ah upon divorce.
The Contract has been drafted after lengthy consultations over a number of years with religious leaders, community organisations and women's groups across the country, and reflects a consensus effort to protect the rights of both parties to a Muslim Nikah (non-registry marriage) and that are guaranteed under the Shari'ah.