(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
Generally in Britain people have the freedom to choose where and who they marry without any descrimination or complications, no matter what religion, what race, or sexuality. However there are situations where within religions, people if they wish, are not allolowed to marry ouside of their religion, although there is no law in Britain that states two people of different religions cannot marry. In Quaker marriages if only one partner is a member of the society, the other will be asked to state that they are in sympathy with the nature of the marriage and they must provide letters of reccomendation from two other members of the quaker society. This is to ensure that the marriage taking place is agreed by all particapents. In Roman Catholic marriages, if one of the partners are roman catholic the priest has to give permision for them to marry.
For other religions rules and traditions vary for example in muslim marriages or Hindu, but British law would not prevent a Muslim from marrying a Hindu or a Christian marrying a sikh. UK marriage laws allow for mosques and temples to be registered for the solemnisatoion of marriages according to the rights of these religions i.e Muslims Hindus and Sikhs. The legal requirements to be fulfilled are those that apply to civil marriages.
Same-sex marriages, what applies in England? In 2004 the Civil Parnership Act was passed, the act gives same-sex couples rights in the same areas such as employment and pensions, but the partnerships are not officially regardeded as a marriage. Some may say that this fact implies that lesbian and gay people are not allowed to call their pernership as a marriage as it is not a “normal” tradition that has ever taken place. Lesbian and gay couples are arguing that there partnerships should be given the full status of marriage and believe it should be their right.
