Scottish Muslims: Ban forced marriage

EDINBURGH, Scotland, March 23 (UPI) -- Prominent Scottish Muslims are pushing for legislation that would allow the husbands of women forced into marriage to be charged with rape.

Relatives involved in the marriages could be charged as accessories, The Scotsman reports.

Bashir Ahmad, a member of the Scottish parliament from Glasgow, said he learned how common forced marriage is while serving on a local council. He said he believes criminal penalties would be a real deterrent.

About 300 forced marriages are reported in Britain every year, but authorities believe the actual number is much higher.

Osama Saeed, head of the Scottish Islamic Council, said the British Parliament has been reluctant to introduce criminal penalties, possibly because of arguments that girls forced into marriage would be less likely to seek help if they fear their parents would face prison. He said the law could be drafted to give victims the option of prosecuting.

"Creating new legislation now though, to deal with the incidents of forced marriage that do exist, will send out a strong message that this violation of human rights will not be tolerated," he said.