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| India-Pakistan |
| Senate sees off religious parties' opposition to pass bill against child marriage |
| 2019-04-30 |
| [DAWN] The Senate on Monday passed the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill, 2018 which proposes that the legal minimum age of marriage in the country be set at 18. The bill was presented by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, who told the House that according to a report by the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... Children's Fund, around 21 per cent Paks got married before turning 18. She also pointed out that Moslem countries including Oman, ...Qatar's colony in Asia Minor.... and United Arab Emirates have already set 18 as the minimum age of entering marriage. Rehman also apprised the upper house of the fatal threat that underage marriages pose to mothers. "One woman dies in childbirth every 20 minutes," she said, adding that the reason for these deaths were early pregnancies. Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one that was led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spent more time running his madrassah until his secreetary rubbed him out in a jealous rage. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... (JUI-F) Senator Ghafoor Haideri opposed the bill, saying that complicated pregnancies were not tied to age but poor healthcare. He argued that Islam allows marriage after puberty and recommended that the bill be sent to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) before being discussed in the Senate. "We are not promoting western culture, this is wrong," Rehman countered, saying that the bill stated that any person younger than 18 should be considered a child and be prohibited to enter marriage. Jamaat-e-Islami ... The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independentbranch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... (JI) Senator Mushtaq Ahmad seconded Haideri's suggestion to send the bill to CII, saying that setting an age limit for marriage would be "against the Shariat". Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri said that "there is no age limit for marriage in Islam", reminding the House that a similar bill had once already been deemed "against the Sharia" by the CII . To this, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani said that referring the bill to the CII would be "akin to sending it into cold storage". Rehman, meanwhile, pointed out that the bill had been endorsed unanimously by the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights. Haideri, however, raised objections over the committee, saying that his party had not been extended an invitation to join. Subsequently, the bill was passed by the Senate and now awaits a debate in the National Assembly. The Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which aims to "curb the menace of child marriage prevalent in the country and save women from exploitation", underage marriage can lead to imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of at least Rs100,000 or both. |
| Posted by:Fred |