Bermuda Consolidated Legislation

BERMUDA
1984 : 8

MUSLIM MARRIAGE ACT 1984

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

1 Short title

2 Interpretation

3 Legality of Muslim reli gious marriages

4 Granting of licences to perform marriages

5 Application of Marriage Act 1944 to Muslim mar riages

[13 March 1984]

[preamble and words of enactment omitted]

Short title

1 This Act may be cited as the Muslim Marriage Act 1984.

Interpretation

2 In this Act —

(a) "Assistant Imam" means any member of the Masjid (as defined in section 2(a) of the Masjid Muhammad No. 1 Bermuda Act 1982) appointed to assist the Resident Imam;

"Resident Imam" means the spiritual leader of the reli gious community in Bermuda of faithful believers in Al-Islam and known as Masjid Muhammad No. 1 Bermuda;

(b) other expressions have the meanings assigned to them by the Marriage Act 1944 [title 27 item 1].

Legality of Muslim religious marriages

3 Subject to this Act, and the relevant provisions of the Marriage Act 1944 [title 27 item 1] it shall be lawful for marriages to be celebrated in Bermuda according to the rites and ceremonies of the faith of Al-Is lam; and any such marriages are hereinafter in this Act referred to as Muslim marriages.

Granting of licences to perform marriages

4 (1) The Minister, by writing under his hand, may grant a li cence to the Resident Imam or to an Assistant Imam to be a Marriage Officer within Bermuda authorizing him to celebrate Muslim marriages.

(2) The provisions of the Marriage Act 1944 [title 27 item 1] re lating to the grant of a licence to a minister to be a Marriage Officer and to the revocation or surrender of such licence shall apply with necessary modifications to the grant, by virtue of this section, of a licence to any of the persons mentioned in subsection (1) and to the revocation and sur render thereof.

(3) A person to whom a licence is granted by virtue of this sec tion is hereinafter referred to as a Muslim Marriage Officer.

Application of Marriage Act 1944 to Muslim marriages

5 The provisions of the Marriage Act 1944 [title 27 item 1] (as amended from time to time) shall have effect —

(a) in relation to the celebration or intended celebration of Muslim marriages and the powers and duties of Muslim Marriage Officers as those provisions have effect in rela tion to the celebration or intended celebration of Chris tian marriages and the powers and duties of Marriage Officers in connection therewith:

Provided that where a Muslim marriage is intended to be celebrated by a Muslim Marriage Officer after the publi cation of banns, such banns shall be published as pro vided in the Marriage Act 1944 [title 27 item 1]; so how ever, that publication of the banns shall be made on three Fridays preceding the celebration of the Muslim marriage; and

(b) in relation to the acts or omissions of persons who are parties to or otherwise concerned in the celebration or
intended celebration of Muslim marriages or any other matters relating to Muslim marriages as those provisions have effect in relation to the acts or omissions of persons who are parties to or are otherwise concerned in the cel ebration or intended celebration of Christian marriages or any other matters relating to Christian marriages.

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