Undercover reporters filming an ITV Exposure documentary secretly recorded 18 Muslim imams at mosques across Britain agreeing to perform an Islamic marriage (nikah) between a 14‑year‑old girl and an older man.[3] The reporters contacted 56 mosques and asked clerics to perform a nikah; 18 agreed to the underage marriage.[3] One imam identified as Mohammed Shahid Akhtar of the Central Jamia Masjid Ghamkol Sharif Mosque in Birmingham was among those who agreed.[3]

In the investigative documentary "Forced To Marry" for ITV Exposure, undercover reporters state that their investigations found that underage marriages are being performed in some mosques in the UK.[7] The reporters called 56 mosques to ask whether they would perform the marriage of a fourteen‑year‑old girl; two‑thirds refused and found the request abhorrent, but eighteen agreed to perform the Islamic marriage (nikah).[7] The programme names specific mosques and imams who appeared willing to conduct such ceremonies and includes responses from mosque authorities denying any underage marriages have been performed.[7]

Undercover reporters who asked Muslim clerics in Britain to perform child marriage, found 18 imams willing to do so, despite it being illegal in the UK, according to a television investigation. British TV network ITV said two of its undercover reporters… placed calls to 56 mosques in the UK… ITV’s "Exposure" programme found two-thirds of those contacted refused… but 18 others agreed. Four imams are under investigation following the report, the Daily Mail newspaper said. Marriage before the age of 16 is illegal in the UK but, under Sharia (Islamic) law a girl can marry as soon as she reaches puberty.

Freedom Charity describes the "Northampton child marriage case" as involving two 16‑year‑olds who "stood before a faith leader in a mosque and were married", calling it child abuse.[8] The charity states that Imam Ashraf Osmani, 52, of Northampton Central Mosque, faces charges for conducting a Nikah ceremony in November 2023 and is prosecuted under Section 121 of the Anti‑Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act.[8] The article notes that the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022, in force from 27 February 2023, raised the minimum age of marriage to 18 and criminalised any conduct intended to cause a child to marry, including religious ceremonies.[8]

The Crown Prosecution Service reports that Ashraf Osmani, 52, carried out a Nikah ceremony – a form of marriage under Islamic law – at Northampton’s Central Mosque at the request of two 16‑year‑olds despite the legal marriage age having risen to 18 earlier that year.[2] The CPS authorised two charges of carrying out conduct for the purpose of causing a child to enter into a marriage under the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022, and Osmani pleaded guilty to both counts.[2] The CPS statement emphasises that "it is unlawful to conduct any form of binding marriage ceremony on people under the age of 18" and says this conviction is the first case of its kind under the new legislation banning child marriage in England and Wales.[2]

A Muslim cleric at a Peterborough mosque has stepped down over allegations that he offered to preside over marriages of girls as young as 12. Mohamed Kassamali, from the Husaini Islamic Centre, allegedly discussed the marriage of a girl of 12 with an undercover Sunday Times reporter. The centre said a British civil marriage certificate was required for Islamic marriages it conducted and said no illegal marriages had taken place at the centre.

An imam has been indicted following an incident in which two minors were permitted to wed at a mosque. According to Northamptonshire Police, Ashraf Osmani has been charged under laws pertaining to forced marriage after he allegedly officiated a Nikah ceremony for 16-year-olds at Northampton Central Mosque in November 2023. The legislation, which was enacted in 2023, prohibits arranging marriages for individuals under 18, regardless of whether coercion is involved.

A BBC News report on Sharia councils in the UK states there are “an estimated 30 established Sharia councils in the UK… Most councils operate from mosques.” The piece notes that “there are claims… that some Sharia council decisions legitimise forced marriage and act unfairly towards women,” and that the government launched an independent review after Theresa May said there was evidence some councils might be working “in a discriminatory and unacceptable way.” However, the article focuses on divorce cases and does not document particular mosques being exposed for conducting underage marriage ceremonies.

Savera UK, a charity working on harmful practices, reports that faith leader Ashraf Osmani was jailed for conducting an underage Islamic marriage, marking the first conviction under England and Wales' new child marriage law.[4] According to the article, Osmani carried out a Nikah ceremony at Northampton’s Central Mosque in 2023 at the request of two 16‑year‑olds, after the legal age for marriage was raised to 18 earlier that year, and he pleaded guilty to two charges of conduct causing a child to enter into a marriage.[4]

An academic article on “Sharīʿah-compliant child marriages” discusses how “(un)registered and religious-only marriages” pose challenges in Western legal systems, including the UK, when Muslim families conduct marriages that may involve minors according to religious norms but are not recognized by state law. The piece focuses on transnational family practices and registration gaps, rather than listing specific mosques, but it establishes that religious-only child marriages can and do occur in Muslim communities within Western jurisdictions.

An Oxford Journal of Law and Religion article on “Sharia in England” describes “the actual problem” as “unregistered Islamic marriages, particularly transcontinental ones,” and notes that Islamic personal law “now operates within the UK as a social fact.” It explains that many Islamic marriages occur only in religious form and are not registered with the civil authorities, which can include marriages involving young spouses, though it does not enumerate specific cases of UK mosques being caught marrying underage girls.

Forced marriage is illegal in the UK, regardless of consent, faith, or cultural context. Children cannot legally marry, and religious ceremonies do not override UK law. Community organisations stress that any marriage involving someone under the legal age is unlawful and can be investigated and prosecuted. This includes ceremonies conducted in religious institutions such as mosques, temples, churches or other venues.

More than a dozen Muslim clerics have been caught agreeing to marry off girls as young as 14. Four imams are now under investigation, after they offered to arrange the illegal ceremonies. Undercover reporters, posing as the mother and brother of a 14-year-old, contacted 56 mosques across the country and asked clerics to perform an Islamic marriage ceremony, known as a nikah. Imams at 18 mosques agreed – including one who has advised the police. The preacher was prepared to arrange the nikah despite being told that the ‘bride’ was being forced to move in with a man against her wishes.

Written evidence submitted to the UK Parliament Home Affairs Committee on Sharia councils notes that under classical Islamic law, "Age of marriage: A Muslim man or woman must be of sound mind and have attained puberty to be considered legally eligible for marriage."[9] It explains that puberty is defined by physical signs such as emission of semen for boys and menstruation for girls, and that Shariʽa as applied in British Sharia councils treats the woman as a minor controlled by her male guardian before and often after marriage.[9] This provides context for religious views on marriage age within some Islamic legal traditions operating alongside UK civil law.[9]

A page on “Child Marriage in the Muslim World” includes a section on the United Kingdom citing 2009 government figures that “forced marriages have seen a ten-fold rise in just four years… One-third of these cases involve victims aged under 18, and one-sixth under the age of 16.” It attributes these cases mainly to “Asian” communities, a term it says is often used for sensitive issues involving the Muslim population. The page gives UK forced-marriage statistics but does not provide specific documented examples of British mosques that were caught conducting underage marriages.

A Reddit post discussing the Northampton case reports that an imam who officiated an unlawful marriage ceremony for two 16‑year‑olds avoided imprisonment after a court determined he was unaware of recent legal changes.[5] The post explains that in England the minimum legal age to marry was raised to 18 by a law that took effect months before the Nikah ceremony, making the religious marriage of the 16‑year‑olds illegal.[5]

An article by the Christian advocacy group Christian Concern, summarising claims by the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO), states: “Girls as young as nine are being forced to marry in mosques in Islington, according to the findings of a leading women’s rights group.” It reports that IKWRO found “at least 30 forced marriages” in Islington in 2010, including “three 11-year old and two 9-year old girls,” and says these “marriages are conducted by Imams under sharia law, rendering them illegal and void under British law.” The piece does not name specific mosques or provide corroborating legal cases, but it is a widely cited claim that underage religious-only marriages were occurring in UK mosques.

A GB News investigation, promoted via a video caption, claims: “ISLAMIST DEFIANCE: UK MOSQUE IMAMS EXPOSED ENDORSING UNDERAGE MARRIAGES UNDER SHARIA LAW ‘She’s 14. By Sharia, Grace of God, she’s legal to…’” The teaser alleges that mosque imams in the UK were recorded endorsing marriages involving a 14-year-old girl as religiously permissible, suggesting that some are willing to conduct or bless underage marriages even though they are illegal under UK civil law. The video is framed as an undercover exposé but the teaser itself does not detail specific mosques or legal consequences.

Religious leaders appeared willing to agree to perform underage marriages at some mosques across the UK, an ITV Exposure investigation discovered. Two undercover reporters called 56 mosques to ask whether they would perform the marriage of a 14-year-old girl. Two-thirds of those contacted refused to perform the marriage but 18 of the respondents spoken to agreed. The investigation highlighted that these Islamic marriage ceremonies (nikah) are not recognised by UK law, which only allows official registration if both parties are over 16, then the legal age of sexual consent and marriage.

Another GB News video clip description states that a “major GB News investigation has uncovered the shocking truth about Sharia law in Britain” and alleges that “virgins don’t even have to give verbal consent” and that imams in mosques are legitimising underage marriages under Sharia. The segment is commentary on the channel’s undercover reporting into Sharia-based law firms and religious authorities, asserting that some UK religious figures are prepared to accept marriages involving underage girls, but the video description does not itself provide documentary evidence or case details.

A Facebook post summarises UK media reports stating that an imam in the UK was sentenced after conducting an illegal marriage ceremony for two 16‑year‑olds.[6] The post notes that the court heard he was unaware that the law had raised the minimum marriage age in England to 18, meaning the ceremony constituted child marriage under the new law.[6]

A new bill would raise the minimum age of marriage from 16 to 18 in England and Wales. There is currently no law criminalising child marriage in the UK. Campaigners featured by BBC Politics argue that religious and cultural marriage ceremonies can facilitate child marriage even without formal civil registration. They call for stronger legal measures to address underage marriage in all settings, including religious venues.

LLM background knowledge: The ITV Exposure investigation on forced and underage marriage in Britain was broadcast in 2013 and generated significant media coverage and debate about religiously‑conducted underage nikah ceremonies in some UK mosques.[7] Subsequent government and NGO reports have highlighted ongoing concerns about child and forced marriage, particularly within certain faith and ethnic communities, leading to legal reforms such as the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022.[2][8]

A post by the UK charity Karma Nirvana comments on a 2026 court case: “Karma Nirvana is deeply concerned by today’s court outcome in which an imam, who conducted illegal marriage ceremonies for two 16-year-olds, received a suspended sentence.” It notes that under the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022, “it is illegal for anyone under 18 to marry in England and Wales,” meaning the imam’s religious ceremonies for the 16-year-olds were illegal. The linked ITV report (not quoted here) concerns an imam in England, indicating at least one documented legal case where a religious figure was prosecuted for underage marriage ceremonies, though the social post does not specify whether the ceremonies occurred in a mosque.

Two years ago England and Wales raised the legal age for all forms of marriage from 16 to 18. Experts interviewed in this BBC Politics London segment on forced marriage highlight that while UK law is strong on paper, underage marriages may still occur in diaspora communities through religious ceremonies conducted outside the civil registration system. They warn that child marriage practices abroad and new laws in countries such as Iraq can have implications for communities in the UK.

Child marriage in UK. An imam in the UK was sentenced after conducting an illegal marriage ceremony for two 16‑year‑olds. The court heard he was unaware the law had raised the minimum marriage age in England to 18. The post describes the case as “Imam guilty of causing child marriage in UK mosque,” referring to the Northampton Central Mosque nikah ceremony that led to prosecution under child marriage legislation.

The case of the Northampton Imam highlights the limits of child marriage protection in England and Wales even after the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022. Despite the new law making any conduct intended to cause a child to marry a criminal offence, the nikah ceremony involving two 16-year-olds was still conducted at a mosque, showing gaps in awareness and enforcement among some faith leaders. The commentary notes that religious or cultural marriage ceremonies, although not civilly registered, can still constitute child marriage under the protective legal framework when involving persons under 18.