Fearing that their relationship would be labelled as fitnah (slander), a 17-year-old girl married her 15-year-old boyfriend in Kluang, Johor, recently.
According to the Facebook account of the Form Five student, the marriage, which took place on Nov 30, took place with the consent of both families.
It is learnt that the couple had been seeing each other since the beginning of this year and announced their relationship on Facebook on Sept 25.
The pictures of the akad nikah ceremony have since been uploaded by the both of them on their respective Facebook accounts, triggering a huge buzz on social media.
At press time, the “groom” has gathered 6,503 followers while the “bride” amassed 4,184 followers.
The majority of Facebook users expressed their support for the newlyweds, saying that they had made a good decision and hoped that they would remain together for the rest of their lives.
Enactment 17 of the Johor Islamic Family Law 2003 (Clause 8) states that no marriage can be solemnised under the enactment if the male is less than 18 years of age and the female less than 16 years of age unless the syariah court judge gives written consent under the circumstances.
The couple’s marriage follows a series of controversial under-age marriages happening throughout the country, the most recent being a 40-year-old man who married his alleged teenage rape victim, who was 13 at the time, in Sabah early last year.
The National Fatwa Council, had in November declared that child marriages were not obligatory or encouraged in Islam and could only be permitted provided they were done solely to meet the children’s welfare.
The council also said the relevant authorities should tighten the conditions of child marriages and ensure their implementation was carried out according to procedure.
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