Problems Relating to Archiving Nikah Documents in Germany’s Arab Mosques

In this contribution, I examine how Arab imams in Germany draw up and archive documents pertaining to exclusively religious Islamic marriages (nikah). The absence of a central Islamic authority responsible for registering and safeguarding nikah documents in Germany has led to the emergence of a wide...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Jaraba, Mahmoud (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Brill 2022
Dans: Journal of Muslims in Europe
Année: 2022, Volume: 11, Numéro: 3, Pages: 315-332
Sujets non-standardisés:B Mosques
B Imam
B nikah
B marriage registrations
B Archives
B Germany
Accès en ligne: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Description
Résumé:In this contribution, I examine how Arab imams in Germany draw up and archive documents pertaining to exclusively religious Islamic marriages (nikah). The absence of a central Islamic authority responsible for registering and safeguarding nikah documents in Germany has led to the emergence of a wide range of practices among Arab imams. These include formal registrations of nikahs on pre-printed forms kept in files, boxes or a storeroom; non-standardised documents issued and handled in various different ways; and orally concluded contracts with no documentary trail whatsoever. In this article, I describe and analyse the different approaches to and practices associated with conducting and recording nikahs among Arab imams. I found that some imams try to formalise the documentary trail with a view to protecting the religious rights of spouses and avoiding internal disputes, whereas others lack experience of institutionalised procedures, thus creating what might be described as archival chaos. I argue that, to reduce the likelihood of unintended consequences, a large number of imams in Germany would benefit from receiving help with professionalising their nikah practices and setting up sound mosque administrations and professionally run archives.
ISSN:2211-7954
Contient:Enthalten in: Journal of Muslims in Europe
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/22117954-bja10061