Selangor Journal

Sultan Selangor wants legal marrying age raised to 18

Photo taken from The Star

By Syauqi Jamil

SHAH ALAM: Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah today decreed that the legal age of marriage for Muslims in Selangor should be raised from 16 to 18.

The decision came after the suggestion made by the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) and the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) after both entities was instructed to review existing laws in the state in regards to the matter.

“I am in agreement with the suggestion to standardise the minimum marrying age limit for Muslim male and female in Selangor by raising it from 16 to 18 years old,” said Sultan Sharafuddin.

In his royal address at the opening of the second session of the14th Selangor Legislative Assembly sitting, Sultan Sharafuddin added several provisions have to be amended to improve the consent procedure and process in regards to underage marriages at the Syariah Courts.

Among them was to set conditions that parents and related parties will have to adhere to, such as obtaining health records as well as consent from the couple that they were not forced into the marriage.

The ruler pointed out that amendments in the Islamic Family Law Enactment (State of Selangor) and the Syariah Court Mal Procedure Enactment (State of Selangor) 2003 will have to be made.

He hoped that both suggestions to amend the laws can be tabled during the current State Assembly sitting.

Earlier, Sultan Sharafuddin said he viewed seriously on underage marriages cases which have made headlines recently, as he expressed his concerns towards the future of the couple as well as its implications towards society.

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