SELANGOR is tabling a bill to amend the Islamic Family Law (State of Selangor) Enactment to raise the minimum age for marriage from 16 to 18 for Muslim girls at the state legislative assembly next month.

Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said the government was waiting for the state legal advisor’s report on the amendment to address the issue of underage marriages.

“We have to wait for the report. I have told them when we are tabling the bill. It will take some time to look into the law thoroughly.

“But perhaps an amendment won’t take too long. It depends on the legal advisor and the Selangor Islamic Council (Mais).

“The soonest we can table the amendment is in September during the coming state legislative assembly sitting,” he told The Malaysian Insight in an interview.

Mais chairman Mohammed Khusrin Munawi previously said the amendment was proposed following the increase in child marriages.

The issue caused an uproar recently when it was learned that a 41-year-old rubber tapper in Kelantan married an 11-year-old girl in southern Thailand recently.

Mais, working with the Selangor Shariah Judiciary Department and the state Islamic Affairs Department, also held in-depth discussions on July 19 and 20 concerning the issue.

Islamic laws in several states like Selangor and Kelantan states that a Muslim man must be at least 18 while a girl at least 16 to marry. Those under the minimum age must get consent from the shariah courts to marry.

Based on government statistics, as many as 10,000 underage Muslim marriages were recorded in the last 10 years. From 2007 to 2017, there were 4,999 cases involved non-Muslims.

Sarawak is the state with the most cases. – August 2, 2018.