*Turkish child marriage
religious document sparks anger π‘*
Turkey's
main opposition party has called for a parliamentary inquiry after the
directorate of religious affairs said that, under Islamic law, girls as young
as nine could marry.
The
comments by the Diyanet prompted an outpouring of anger on social media from
Turkish women's groups.
The
directorate insisted it was only defining points of Islamic law.
Turkey's
legal age of marriage is 18 but the practice of underage weddings in religious
ceremonies is widespread.
Turkish
law also allows 17-year-olds to marry with the consent of their parents or
guardian, or 16-year-olds in exceptional circumstances with court approval. The
current outcry was started by a statement on adolescence posted online by the
Diyanet, the state body which administers religious institutions and education.
It
said that, according to Islamic law, the beginning of adolescence for boys was
the age of 12 and for girls the age of nine. On the same website, it said that
whoever reached the age of adolescence had the right to marry.
Thirty
MPs of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) called on the
government to launch an investigation into child marriage.
Murat
Bakan, CHP's MP for Izmir, said on Twitter: "The Turkish Civil Code
clearly states that adulthood begins at the age of 18."