Shariat Court rejects petition challenging its ruling that girls under 16 can’t be married

Details: The Federal Shariat Court (FSC) ruled on Thursday that under the Child Marriage Restraint Act (CMRA) 1929, setting the minimum age limit for a girl’s marriage at 16 years will enable girls receive at least a basic education. What happened: The ruling came after the FSC dismissed a petition and stated that an Islamic state setting a minimum age limit for girls’ marriage is not against Islam. Farooq Omar Bhoja had filed a case contesting Sections 4, 5, and 6 of the CMRA, which was heard by a three-judge FSC bench led by Chief Justice Mohammad Noor Meskanzai. What CMRA says: Section 4 of the CMRA stipulates that marrying a minor will result in a simple imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of Rs50,000. Sections 5 and 6 describe the penalties for offciating a child’s nikkah and encouraging child marriage. The verdict: The FSC ruled in a 10-page decision that the sections of the act that set a minimum age limit for both, girls and boys for marriage were not un-Islamic. The decision argues that the importance of education is self-evident, and that education is necessary for everyone, regardless of gender. As a result, as stated in a Hadith, Islam has made the attainment of education necessary for all Muslims.  “Acquisition of knowledge is mandatory upon every Muslim”, verdict quoted a Hadith.