The Women’s Legal Centre (WLC) has raised concerns over the Department of Home Affairs’ recent move to issue marriage certificates to Muslim couples that recognize their marriages as "Muslim marriages." Although Muslim couples have long been able to have marriages solemnised under the Marriage Act of 1961, these are registered as civil, not Muslim marriages. Historically, the Department trained Muslim clerics to register such marriages under the Act, yet these remain civil marriages in the eyes of the law, as the Act does not allow them to be recognized as Muslim marriages. WLC Attorney Khensani Motileni.