Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate: Adults can marry children

The Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate has created another scandal and argued that adults can marry children.

The Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate published a scandalous statement on their website laying the foundation for sexual harassment of girls with their definitions of puberty and weddings.

The RAD defined the minimum age for puberty as 9 in girls and 12 in boys, and argued that girls can get pregnant at 9 years old and boys can become “fathers” at 12.

STRESSING “FATHERHOOD” AND “PREGNANCY”

The RAD’s statement in question is as follows: “The dictionary defines puberty as ‘becoming capable, maturing, reaching the goal’. As a concept in fiqh [Islamic jurisprudence], puberty means a person completing the period of childhood and reaching into adulthood. A person who has entered puberty is called ‘pubescent’. Puberty can change according to the child’s bodily composition and the climate. According to Islamic law, the minimum age of puberty is 12 for boys and 9 for girls. After reaching that age, boys enter the age when they can become fathers, and girls have periods and can get pregnant. This is them physically reaching maturity. But if boys or girls still haven’t shown these signs of puberty when they are 15, they are considered mature. Puberty is the time when a person is considered responsible with religious duties and achieves the status of adulthood. A person who has reached this stage and is of sound mind achieves the full agency for their actions. Thus, they are considered to be responsible for religious duties like acts of worship and concepts like halal and haram, and capable of penal, legal and monetary responsibilities.”

“CAN MARRY WITHOUT PARENTS PRESENT”

“If there is a risk of the person entering into illegitimate relations, it is obligatory that they marry,” said the RAD and continued: “The marriage should be officiated in an assertion of will in the presence of two witnesses. A woman who has reached puberty can marry without her parent present, while it is better that the parents or guardians are there.”