Britain is becoming the "western capital" for sharia courts, with 85 Islamic councils now operating across the country. These religious bodies have significant influence and Muslims from Europe and North America are turning to them for rulings on marriage and family issues. 

The National Secular Society has raised concerns about the existence of a parallel legal system, according to The Times, UK. The first Sharia council was set up in 1982. The Sharia councils are even endorsing contentious anti-women beliefs and nikah mut'ah, or pleasure marriage. Based in Leyton, east London, the Islamic Sharia Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a registered charity that offers nikah (marriage) services as well as talaq (husband-initiated) and khula (wife-initiated) divorce procedures.

There is also an application where Muslims living in England and Wales can create Islamic laws. The application allows males to select from a drop-down menu the number of wives they have, ranging from one to four. The Sharia court has also given its approval, according to The Times in the UK. Sharia courts in the UK are made up of groups of Islamic scholars, mostly men. These courts are not official legal bodies but offer religious advice on matters like divorce and marriage. Professor Mona Siddiqui, a theologian, explained that Sharia is a system of law based on the views of Islamic scholars who lived from the 7th to the 13th century, during the time of Prophet Mohammed.

Data indicates that about 100,000 Islamic marriages have taken place in Britain without being registered with civil authorities. Islamic marriages also have rules for divorce, especially for women who need approval from a religious council to get divorced. While many Muslim countries have updated their version of Sharia law, they still follow the traditional rulings when it comes to marriage and divorce, according to The Times. A wife can request a divorce if her husband is unwilling to divorce her. This process is quite different from civil divorce proceedings. The existence of a parallel legal system in Britain has raised worries, according to the National Secular Society, an organisation that advocates for secularism. 

Stephen Evans, the chief executive of the society, said that these councils "undermine the principle of one law for all" and negatively affect women's and children's rights. "It should be remembered that Sharia councils only exist because Muslim women need them to obtain a religious divorce. Muslim men do not need them because they can unilaterally divorce their wives," he said. Some women also shared with The Times that religious texts were being used to control them. According to one woman, she was even advised to be married in a "pleasure marriage" that was sanctioned by her religion.

In Islam, nikah mut'ah, or pleasure marriage, is a temporary marriage where the duration is decided beforehand, and the man pays the woman an agreed-upon amount. Islamic Preacher Haitham al-Haddad was discovered stating, "A man should not be questioned why he hit his wife because this is something between them. Leave them alone. They can sort out their matters among themselves."