Yorkshire Islam preacher ‘agrees to girl, 14, marrying’

CAMPAIGNERS are calling for renewed action over forced marriages after Muslim clerics were apparently recorded by undercover reporters agreeing to conduct marriage ceremonies involving girls as young as 14.

By The Newsroom

Published 7th Oct 2013, 10:04 BST

An imam who preaches at a mosque in West Yorkshire is among those who was secretly filmed by the Exposure programme to be broadcast this week.

Footage to be broadcast on Wednesday will show Shams-Ul-Huda Khan Misbahi telling one of the undercover reporters that under Sharia law, the girl can go through with the marriage ceremony or nikah.

When the reporter, posing as the brother of the girl to be married, says “she’s not willing now, but she will be”, the cleric responds “if you make her willing, she will be willing”.

The reporters approached 56 mosques across the country with 18 agreeing to go ahead.

The Freedom Charity, which educates children about forced marriage, said stamping out forced marriage had taken second place to fears of causing offence.