By exploring the historic development of marriage laws and changing
relationship norms in England, Qatar and Australia; the legal treatment
of religious-only unions in light of the family law regime in each
country, and the impact of non-recognition, this book reveals the
complexities of the law reform needed to tackle these issues.
This examination of the differing outcomes for couples who live in
England/Wales where cohabitants have no legal rights, Australia where
cohabitants do benefit from some legal protections, and Qatar, a Muslim
majority state with a modern family law regime which ordinarily
recognises religious marriages provides a broad canvas for exploring
this issue in depth.
The book looks at this very complex issue from a range of perspectives
including autonomy, cultural transitions and legal pluralism. It
examines the issue of religious-only marriages in order to convey the
complex and interwoven narrative which signifies how multifaceted law
reform must be in order to adequately respond to these transitioning
relationship norms in any given jurisdiction.
Of course, relationship norms are not static and they continue to
evolve. In light of changing norms and practices, the theoretical
framework for this book focuses on the concept of 'liminality' or
transition, which is being witnessed in the processes and formalities by
which Muslims are entering their marriages.
