New Delhi, 20 December: The decision of the Central Government to raise the minimum age of marriage for girls from 18 years to 21 years, has been strongly condemned by the Muslim organizations.
Muslim organizations said that the age of marriage of boys and girls should not be fixed, but when boys and girls want to get married then they should be married. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and the Indian Union Muslim League have strongly condemned this decision of the government and demanded immediate withdrawal of this decision.
Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, general secretary of the Muslim Personal Law Board, has said that Nikah or marriage is very important for mankind, but fixing the age for marriage is not right. They say that marriage is also related to health and wellness.
He added that not only in Islam but also in other religions, no age has been fixed for marriage to protect people from the defects in the character of the people. For this, the elders and the head of the family have been given the right to decide on the basis of his understanding. If any boy and girl feel the need of marriage before 21 years and have the courage to fulfil all the responsibilities after marriage, then it is a crime to stop them from marriage.
He further said that because of the restriction imposed on the age of marriage in the society, crime can also be encouraged. It is unfair to girls to fix the minimum age of marriage at 18 years or 21 years and make marriage illegal before that. Anyway, the custom of getting married at a young age is gradually decreasing in the society, but in some cases it has been seen that girls have also benefited in marrying girls before the fixed age.
โThat’s why we want that the government should reconsider its decision and consider putting a stay on the decision to reduce the age of marriage to 21 years to reduce the vices in the society,โ he concluded.
Indian Union Muslim League MPs have also strongly criticized this decision of the government in a press conference held at Kerala Bhavan today.
League MPs have demanded the government to reconsider its decision.
They said that if the government does not accept their demand, they will oppose it both on the road and in Parliament.
