Forced marriage?

[arclight]

Theres an old thread on here about womens rights in Islam, which has thrown up some questions for me.


I've seen it mentioned on here before that forced marriages are not allowed under Islamic law, but I've seen many stories that say otherwise, or at least that mulims don't agree on this point. The UK government recently tried to pass a law that outright banned forced marriages, but it was dropped after pressure from islamic groups. It was said that, due to the nature of the law, it would unduly focus on the muslim community, but how can that be possible if forced marriage is not allowed in Islam?


Theres also been more than one case of 'honour' killings. The worst one so far has to be:


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,...05,00.html


I've also read that her parents had arranged for to marry someone in Pakistan, although that doesn't seem to be mentioned in that story.


I don't doubt that most on here will condemn that murder, but there seems to be vast gulf between what I read on this board, and what seems to pass for Islam in the real world. :(

[arclight]

A simple yes/no would do. Are forced marriages allowed in Islam?

[Dan]

Bismillah


I have never ever seen evidence from Islamic literature that would support it, so I say no.