The announcement of Maulana Fazlur Rehman to protest against the bill on child marriage sparked a generalized discussion online.
Friday, President Asif Ali Zardari signed the bill on the marriage of children in the country’s territory Islamabad, fixing the minimum age for marriage at 18 years old.
The new legislation criminalizes the celebration of marriages where the boy or the girl is a minor.
In response, the head of Jamiat Ulema-E-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced on Saturday a national protest against the legislation proposed by the government aimed at restricting children’s marriages, arguing that the bill contradicts Islamic teachings and threatens the religious identity of Pakistan.
Many users have criticized this decision, wondering why such a position was taken on a question concerning child protection.
Many users have criticized religious leaders for opposing a law to protect minors. A user pointed out that these groups never protested against children’s abuse but are rabid by the bill on child marriage.
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Photo: screengrab
Photo: screengrab
Others have underlined the importance of confronting the religious conservatives who use religion to justify children’s marriages, warning that not to resist would not inholde further.
Several votes on social networks have called for the organization of counter-demonstrations by the rational and progressive segments of the company to oppose the demonstrators opposing the bill.
Photo: screengrab
Users have argued that the defense of children’s rights should be a non -negotiable priority and has expressed strong support for the new law, stressing that early marriage often leads to serious health, psychological and social consequences for children, especially girls.
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Under the new law which has prohibited the minor marriage of boys and girls, the offenders risk up to a year in prison and a fine of 100,000 rupees, while a man over 18 marrying a minor girl can incur a rigorous imprisonment who can go up to three years. The courts are also authorized to intervene and protect the identities of those who report such cases.
Despite the clear intention of the bill to protect children from exploitation, it was faced with fierce opposition from religious political parties and the Islamic Ideology Council (CII).
The Pakistan Human Rights Committee (HRCP) has firmly criticized the CII for raising objections to the bill on children’s marriage to the country’s capital of Islamabad, qualifying the decision to seriously move to the vital child protection legislation.
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Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar, Fazl said that the proposed law was influenced by foreign agendas. “The identity of Pakistan is Islam and that identity is threatened,” he said, warning that the bill undermines the fundamental values of the country.
FAZL accused the government of writing the legislation on the basis of the requests of international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nations (UN), rather than adhering to Islamic principles.
“The UN position is used to adopt laws against marriages at the start of age. The president also refuses to sign the bill on religious seminars,” he added.
The head of Jui-F criticized the law proposed as violating the Koran and the Sunnah, affirming that such movements weaken democratic processes and inadvertently strengthen extremist stories.
“Democracy loses its case, and these actions allow the stories of armed groups,” warned Fazl.
