The call of certain Kerala Muslim organisations for lowering the minimum age of Muslim girls for marriage from 18 to 16 is drawing flak from various sections of the society.
State CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday slammed the Muslim league, Congress’s staunchest ally in Kerala, over the issue and alleged that this was part of a strategy of that party to create communal polarisation and consolidate the Muslim votes in the coming lok Sabha election.
A meeting of leaders of 10 Muslim organisations last weekend decided to approach the Supreme Court with a plea to exempt the community from the law that prohibited marriage of under-18 girls, stating that such restrictions were an infringement on the Muslim Personal law (Sharia), which had not set any particular age for girls for getting married.
“Several Muslim organisations have formed a Sharia Protection Committee. Muslim league leader MC Mayin Haji is its convener. All this is being done under the eyes of State league president Panakkad Hyderali Shihab Thangal. From all these facts, it is quite clear that the Muslim league is trying to take maximum political mileage out of this,” Pinarayi said.
Though the Kerala society in general and many prominent Muslim scholars and its own feeder outfits have aired objections to the call, the Muslim league has not yet come out against it. The Muslim league has so far taken a position that the call was given by the community organisations and that there was nothing in it to pass a comment.
“What do these people, who are so concerned about the community’s interests in the matter of girls’ age for marriage, have to say about the Prevention of Child Marriage ActIJ Those who are creating a feeling that child marriages are an interest the Muslims should safeguard are ridiculing the community,” Pinarayi told newsmen in Thiruvananthapuram.
“There are certain men in the society who find happiness in marrying minor girls. Another secret agenda behind this move is not to let the Muslim girls have the advantage of college education. They don’t stand for the community’s interests. Decisions of community organisations should not be based on the interests of such people,” the CPI(M) leader said.
Referring to a circular issued earlier by the Government’s Social Welfare Department, ruled by Muslim league Minister MK Muneer, asking civic bodies’ secretaries to register marriages of under-18 Muslim girls, Pinarayi said that the Muslim clergy were now adopting that “same illegal attitude”. The circular had to be withdrawn following widespread protests.
Opposition leader in the State Assembly VS Achuthanandan, also a member of the CPI(M)’s central committee, made a direct charge that the Muslim league was behind the call for legalising underage marriage of Muslim girls. “I hope the Government will not succumb to the pressures being exerted by the Muslim league on this,” he said in Thiruvananthapuram.
“There are certain people in Muslim league who feel that lowering the girls’ marriageable age even to 14 was welcomed. I don’t want to comment on the morality of such people,” he said. Achuthanandan has been waging a legal battle against league leader and Industries Minister PK Kunhalikutty who is facing the charge of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl back in 1996.
Meanwhile, objections to the Muslim clergy’s call have come from organisations based in the community itself. The Muslim Youth league, youth outfit of the Muslim league, asked the community organisations to stay away from committing acts that amounted to promoting child marriages. MSF, the league’s student wing, has already come out against the clergy’s call.