In a concerning case, an Imam from Northampton has been handed a suspended prison sentence for conducting an illegal marriage ceremony involving two 16-year-olds. Ashraf Osmani, aged 52, pleaded guilty to two charges of causing a child to marry at Northampton Central Mosque in November 2023.
The court heard that the two teenage individuals, whose identities have been protected for legal reasons, approached Osmani after being turned away by another mosque. Osmani then proceeded to carry out the non-legally binding Islamic nikah ceremony, charging £50 for a certificate.
Despite Osmani’s claims that he was unaware of the law change nine months earlier, which had raised the minimum legal marriage age in England to 18, Mr Justice Choudhury ruled that his “approach can only be described as negligent.” The judge acknowledged that there was no evidence of “violence or coercion” and that the teenagers had gone to Osmani “entirely of their own volition.”
Osmani’s defence barrister, James Gray, argued that his client had made just one mistake in 20 years of conducting nikah ceremonies. Gray stated that Osmani had asked for passports to check dates of birth, completed an application form, and filled in the mosque register correctly. “All of those things combine to make it quite clear that he was labouring under a mistake as to the change in the law,” Gray said.
Nonetheless, the judge imposed a 15-week jail term, suspended for 12 months, on Osmani. Addressing the Imam directly, the judge said, “You ought to have known the law had changed.”
Osmani left the court without comment, covering his face with his hands and a scarf. This case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of staying informed about changes in the law, especially when it comes to sensitive issues like underage marriage.
