Illegal Islamic Weddings Increase

While only 14% of Dutchmen marry in the church, the number of Islamic weddings is increasing. Religious weddings have no status in Dutch law and are allowed only after a couple has been married in a civil ceremony. Recently mayor of the Hague Van Aartsen threatened the extremist As Soennah mosque with a fine if it would continue to break the law. He pointed out that should the couple divorce, there would be no alimony, and if one of them should die, the other member of the couple would not be eligible for inheritance. Various parliamentarians are worried about these weddings as they may involve forced or polygamous marriages. The intelligence services (AIVD) have also expressed concern about these weddings in the context of their investigation of Islamic radicalism.
www.trouw.nl/hetnieuws/nederland/article1052812.ece/Islamitisch_huwelijk_biedt_uitkomst_voor_jonge_moslim