Malaysian religious officials in the northern state of Kelantan are investigating two cases of child marriage involving girls under the age of 12, according to reports Friday.
Mohammad Salleh Mat Jusoh, deputy head of the religious department in Kelantan, said they were investigating whether the marriages had been authorised by Islamic authorities, the New Straits Times newspaper reported.
"We are also checking if the person who solemnised the marriages had the authority to conduct the ceremonies," he was quoted as saying by the paper.
He said it was illegal to marry a girl under the age of 16 without approval from state religious officials.
Islamic Sharia law runs in parallel with civil law in mainly Muslim Malaysia and Kelantan state allows underage marriages if religious officials have given permission.
State religious officials could not be immediately reached for comment Friday.
However, Muslim pressure group Sisters in Islam (SIS) called for an end to child marriages, saying the practice continued in Malaysia because of a "belief that Muslim girls can be married off once they reach puberty."
"We argue, however, that the onset of puberty is no indication of sufficient maturity for marriage," Marina Mahathir, daughter of former premier Mahathir Mohamad and an SIS director, said in a statement.
She pointed out that people under the age of 18 are defined as children under Malaysian law.
"The loophole in the Islamic Family law must also be closed to prevent marriages below the age of 18," she said.
Minister in charge of Islamic affairs Jamil Khir Baharom questioned the motive of one of the marriages reportedly between an 11-year-old girl and a man above 40, saying "it was more to satisfy lust", the official Bernama news agency reported.
Jamil Khir also questioned the way the marriage of the other underage girl was conducted, which reportedly took place in a moving car.
Kelantan Sharia chief judge Daud Mohammad told Bernama Muslims in the state who wanted to marry an underage girl had to seek permission or an exemption from the state Kadi or Islamic marriage official, with offenders liable to a fine and six months jail.
Copyright 2010 AFP Asian Edition
