MEDIA STATEMENT

20th July 2026

Misleading Reporting on Weddings Law Reform puts Muslim women at risk

Muslim Women's Network UK (MWNUK) is deeply concerned that misleading reporting of the Government's consultation on weddings law reform has created widespread confusion among British Muslims and other communities, potentially leaving many women believing when laws are reformed that they will have legal rights that they will not in fact possess.

The consultation, Tying the Knot: Reforming Weddings Law in England and Wales, proposes reforms to simplify the legal process for marriage. It does not propose that religious-only marriages, including Islamic marriages, will automatically become legally recognised. Couples would still need to comply with the relevant legal requirements in order for their marriage to be recognised in law. Despite this, Hyphen Online published an article on the 17^th July 2026 under the headline "UK government proposes legal recognition of Islamic weddings", giving readers the impression that that compliance with the civil elements of marriage would no longer be required. 

The article was widely shared across social media, becoming one of the publication's most popular posts, with many Muslim women celebrating what they believed meant that all Islamic marriages conducted in the UK would automatically be recognised in law under the new proposals. This is not what the consultation proposes.

MWNUK contacted the publication to explain that its headline and reporting were misleading and explained that the consultation proposes to simplify the legal process for getting married, not to abolish the civil component altogether. While the proposals would remove the requirement for marriages to take place in a registered building, a number of legal requirements would still need to be met before a marriage is recognised in law. These include the completion of prescribed legal paperwork, compliance with statutory procedures before and after the ceremony, the use of legally prescribed declarations, and the ceremony being conducted by an authorised officiant.

We also explained that the consultation's proposal to allow couples to express consent according to their own religious traditions does not mean that an Islamic marriage would automatically become legally recognised. The way in which consent is expressed is a separate issue from the legal requirements that must be satisfied for a marriage to be valid in law. Unfortunately, the publication appeared to conflate these two distinct issues, further adding to public confusion. Rather than correcting the article or clarifying the position, the publication appears to have doubled down and further promoted their article by then pinning it to their social media account, which, in our view, leaves their followers with an inaccurate understanding of the proposed reforms. This spread of misinformation will have serious real-world consequences for Muslim women causing them financial harm.

MWNUK has a long track record of supporting women trapped in religious-only marriages who discover, often after many years and sometimes after having children, that they have little or no legal protection when relationships break down because no legally recognised marriage exists. Around one in four Muslim women contacting our MWN Helpline about marriage have entered a religious-only marriage in the UK without a corresponding civil marriage.

We are now concerned that some men may exploit this misinformation by falsely assuring women that a civil process will no longer be necessary because an Islamic marriage alone is legally valid. Equally worrying is that many women may genuinely believe they will be legally protected, only to discover years later that they have no legal rights relating to financial remedies or other protections arising from marriage. We believe the Government also bears some responsibility for this confusion.

While simplifying the legal process may remove unnecessary administrative barriers, the Government's communications failed to emphasise a crucial point: the proposed reforms do not remove the need to comply with the legal requirements for a legally recognised marriage. That message should have been central to every announcement about the consultation.

There also appears to be an assumption that simplifying the legal process will substantially reduce the number of religious-only Muslim marriages. Unfortunately, our experience suggests otherwise. In many cases, the absence of a civil marriage is not caused by bureaucracy but because one party deliberately wishes to avoid the legal rights and responsibilities that a civil marriage creates. Simplifying the process may help couples who already intended to register their marriage, but it is unlikely to change the behaviour of those who intentionally avoid legal accountability. Instead, poor communication surrounding the consultation appears to have created an even greater misconception, that all Islamic marriages soon will be, legally recognised.

Baroness Shaista Gohir OBE, CEO of MWNUK, said: “This misinformation could leave tens of thousands of Muslim women believing they will be legally protected even if they enter into a religious only marriage without having to take the additional steps to make their marriage legally valid. We know from years of supporting women that discovering your marriage has no legal recognition can be financially and emotionally devastating.”

MWNUK is calling on the Government to issue an immediate public clarification confirming that religious-only marriages will not become legally recognised unless the legal requirements for a legally recognised marriage are met. Any future legislation should also be accompanied by a national public information campaign to explain the changes clearly and counter misinformation before more women are placed at risk.

Anyone experiencing any form of violence or abuse can contact the Muslim Women’s Network Helpline on 0800 999 5786 or via info@mwnhelpline.co.uk

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Media enquiries: Baroness Gohir contact@mwnuk.co.uk / 0121 236 9000