Civil weddings are a concern for some imams in France. Increasingly, young Muslims want to get married without having a prior civil wedding ceremony. According to the penal law, this procedure is illegal and can carry a sentence of up to 6 months’ imprisonment and 7 500 euros’ fine. Recently, the MP Etienne Mourrut (UMP Party) expressed concern about these claims in a letter addressed to the Minist_re de l’Int_rieur. “In the majority of the counties, the town councils are rarely asked to pronounce a wedding when the brides and grooms are Muslims. Therefore, we can assume that there are either no Muslims marrying, or that [the civil ceremonies were skipped” Azzedine Gaci, president of the Conseil Regional du Culte Musulman in the Rhone-Alps region says, “I sometimes receive this kind of claim, but I always explain that the civil wedding is mandatory. I also have to explain this to the parents, as the wedding of a Muslim bride cannot be celebrated without her father’s consent”.
