(Reuters) - A Malaysian state is to allow Muslim girls under the age of consent of 16 years to wed in a bid to stem unwed pregnancies, angering the country's women's activists and politicians.
The Islamic council in the southern Malaysian state of Malacca on Tuesday announced that it would to allow marriage for Muslims below the current minimum age of 16 years for females and 18 for males.
"This is an outrage. We're turning back the clock when there's ample evidence to show that we should not condone child marriages," said Ivy Josiah, executive director of Women's Aid Organization, a rights group.
Muslims make up about 60 percent of the 28 million population of the Southeast Asian country and fall under Islamic family and criminal laws individually drafted and run by each of the country's 13 states. Non-Muslims come under federal civil laws.
The chief minister of Malacca, Mohammad Ali Rustam, said permission would only be granted after consent by the teenager's families as well as the state Islamic courts.
"For the state government, this is the best step to deal with the problem of abandoned babies and unwed pregnancies," he was quoted as saying by the Utusan Malaysia newspaper.
Malacca earlier announced that the state would open a special school for Muslim girls who become pregnant out of wedlock, a move that also came under fire from rights groups.
taken from http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6733BS20100804 (here)
Finally someone is doing something to help solve the ever rising cases of unwanted teenage pregnancies and hopefully also put an end to the cases of abandon babies. Well, I have no doubt that it is going to be a tough job, given the amount of “exposure” teenagers are receiving nowadays from paid TVs, internet, video clips and many more…surely difficult to control their raging libido. Whatever it is, it’s a good start..In fact, an Awesome start!
As I read the article, I was pleased that out of so many states, Malacca made the first initiative to allow teenage marriage if circumstances required her so. But my happiness didn’t last long as I learned how angry the executive director of women’s aid organisation was with this news. She said “This is an outrage! We're turning back the clock when there's ample evidence to show that we should not condone child marriages.”
Ample evidence you said? haven’t you seen enough of abandon babies from the news? Some were mauled by stray dogs, and some were even buried alive. Now, I am ashamed to say that the bulk of those abandon babies do happen to be Malays and most probably of Muslim origin… But not all of them are Muslims either. When so many people point fingers to the decline of familial institution, delinquancy (if that is even a word) and so many more, aren’t you relieve to know that at least the someone is doing something to solve this problem?
I understand completely that your position as a proud women activist requires you to stand up to prevent child marriages. But let's be realistic, if a “reproductively matured” 14-year-old girl already knows how to have sex and actually wanted to, she is not a child anymore. if she seeks sexual partner or partners for that matter, face the fact that she will produce an offspring. Unwanted, unwed pregnancies like these are associated with extreme social stigmas. Parents will disowned her and as usual her partner wouldn’t want to be responsible for the baby, and in an act of desperation, she will abandon the baby in a nearby bushes or trash bin and leave it to die… wouldn’t it be better if she got married on the first place? There will be no problem with the baby being unwanted, there is no question about the father running away. and even if he runs, the girl family will still take care of her. A much, much better outcome for both the baby and the teenager.
Well, I also know that you’d immediately say marriage will ruin the girl’s life because she will be forced into being a wife, being a mom and being a personal slave to her husband. If sex is what she afters, let her have sex and give her condoms instead. Well, it is so happen that the religion that we are talking about right now is Islam. Sexual “freedom” is not an option. Giving out condoms will only promote sexual promiscuity which is against the teaching of Islam. For an Islamic country like Malaysia, we can not afford to do that. So the proposal to allow teenage marriage is very reasonable indeed.
The fact that you wanted to ban teenage marriage but in a way allow teenage pregnancy is absurd. In Western countries where condoms are available everywhere and people are allowed to have sex as they please, still there are “accidents”. Underage pregnancies and illegal abortions are indeed 2 of the most serious social problems in these countries to date. So clearly, giving away condoms, sexual education and free contraceptive pills are not the answers. It is best if we could teach these girls to actually does not desire sex before marriage. But that is not going to happen in a million years what with the “over sexualized” media that we have right now. So, what else can a State Islamic organisation do as a short term management of unwed pregnancies other than to allow teenage marriage… with strict regulations of the matter of course.
Before an outrageous comment is made to the media, I think it is wise that you actually think about why such decision is made on the first place because just so you know, these people who made the decisions are not stupid. They are also specialists in their areas just like any of us. Don’t assume that just because it is about the religion Islam then in will be bias and oppressive towards women. I’m a Muslim and a woman, and I think this is a good start.
