Kelantan Govt Advise 11-Year-Old's Parents To Legalise Her Marriage To 41-Year-Old Husband
"We shouldn't be judgmental," said Galas assemblyman Mohd Syahbuddin Hashim.
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 03 Jul 2018, 05:49 PM
The Kelantan state government has advised the parents of the 11-year-old girl who married 41-year-old Che Abdul Karim Che Hamid to legalise their marriage in order to seek a hearing at the Syariah court
Kelantan's State Women, Family Development, and Welfare committee chairman Mumtaz Md Nawi visited the girl, her parents, and her husband yesterday, 2 July.
In a Facebook post, the politician wrote that she had urged the family to seek the advice of religious authorities in Thailand since the marriage was solemnised in Narathiwat, and to enrol the girl in a religious school since she has never attended school before.
Galas assemblyman Mohd Syahbuddin Hashim has also chimed in, saying that "We shouldn't be judgmental"
"I have met the family and found there is no element of compulsion," the politician added, The Star reported.
On the other hand, Kelantan PAS Muslim chief Siti Zailah Mohd Yusof was informed by the relevant religious authorities in Thailand that the marriage had not been approved by them
The president of the Narathiwat Islamic Religious Council (NRC) told her that, "No application was made to the NRC prior to the solemnisation."
According to Malay Mail, political secretary of the women, family, and community development ministry Rodziah Ismail also said that, "We have no records or evidence that the marriage took place, there is talk about it, but no proof and we are working with the Thailand government to get documentation and information on this."
"Thailand also has strict child marriage laws so we want to find out whether it happened, whether it was registered," she said, adding that the 41-year-old will be given time to provide evidence of the marriage.