British politician Baroness Warsi has called for restrictions to prevent polygamy in the UK. A Muslim herself she claims that cultural sensitivity has prevented politicians from discussing the issue of polygamy. She is a member of the Conservative Party and Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action and urges the government to consider the…
Dutch Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin is considering whether measures against ‘Islamic marriage’ ought to be introduced. Islamic weddings in the Netherlands are generally unofficial, non-government sanctioned ceremonies based on Islamic law. Contracts in Islamic marriages are not legally recognized under Dutch law. As such, there will be no alimony if a couple divorces, and…
The Greater Manchester MP at the centre of a row over Muslim women wearing a veil has been named the new immigration minister. Phil Woolas, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, prompted anger in some sections of the Muslim community two years ago when he said some people could find veils `frightening and intimidating’. And…
The mayors of four Dutch cities – Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and Rotterdam, plan to ask the government not to grant citizenship to foreign nationals who have more than one wife. Even though polygamy is banned in the Netherlands, Dutch towns currently register such marriages, and do not ask whether or not an applicant is…
The age at which someone can apply for a marriage visa will increase from 18 to 21 as part of a crackdown on forced marriage, the Home Office announced on Wednesday. In 2007 the Forced Marriage Unit dealt with 215 cases of overseas forced marriage where the age of the victim was known, 69 of…
