21 December 2014

Saudi Arabia Grand Mufti says no opposition to underage marriage

Saudi Arabia’s efforts to edge closer to setting a minimum age for marriage have received a blow after the Grand Mufti said there was nothing wrong with girls below 15 getting married.

“There is currently no intention to discuss the issue,” Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh said, quoted by local daily Al Riyadh on Sunday.

In a bold attempt to force changes on the grounds, the justice ministry has been pushing for setting up the minimum age.

Two years ago, it submitted an integrated study on the negative psychological and social effects of underage marriages to religious scholars and requested a fatwa that sets a minimum age. [Gulf News] Read more