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National scene: UN welcomes fatwa on child marriage

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Indonesia has welcomed an Indonesian pro-women ulema’s fatwa to end child marriage

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Sat, April 29, 2017

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National scene: UN welcomes fatwa on child marriage

U

nited Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Indonesia has welcomed an Indonesian pro-women ulema’s fatwa to end child marriage. Child marriage is rampant throughout Indonesia.

“This is a landmark moment in the effort to end child marriage in Indonesia, where on average more than 3,500 girls are married off every day,” UNICEF Indonesia representative Gunilla Olsson said in a statement.

“Girls who marry below the age of 18 face severe risks to their health because of early pregnancy. And most of them drop out of school. Healthy and well-educated girls are a foundation for a prosperous society.”

The inaugural congress of the Indonesian female ulema issued a fatwa obliging Muslims to prevent early marriage, arguing that early marriage would bring more harm than good and was therefore un-Islamic.

“Religion prescribes its followers to prevent mudarat [harm]. The maslahat [benefit] of a sakinah [peaceful] family can never be gained if there is too much harm. Early marriage has been proven to bring harm. Therefore, preventing early marriage is an obligation,” the female clerics said in their fatwa.

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