www.nst.com.my

Anonymous #sexist nst.com.my

Polygamist upset with govt move to raise minimum marriage age

KOTA BARU: A 41-year-old rubber trader, who caused widespread outcry for marrying a Thai girl 30 years his junior, has expressed regret over the government’s plan to set the minimum marriage age for women to 18.

“My marriage has affected everyone and prompted the government to increase the minimum marriage (for women). I feel really bad,” he told the New Straits Times Press when contacted today.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail last month said the government would amend the Child Act 2016 and the Islamic Family Enactment to raise the minimum marriage age for women from 16 to 18.

This came after the couple’s marriage was exposed on June 18 when his second wife took to Facebook and posted about the couple’s solemnisation at a mosque in Thailand’s Muslim-majority south in Narathiwat province.

This has sparked an outrage among Malaysians, with many calling for action to be taken against the man and that the minimum legal marriage age to be increased in an effort to curb child marriages.

According to the Islamic Family Law Enactment, the minimum legal age for marriage is 18 for male and 16 for female.

The man was fined RM1,800 by Gua Musang Lower Syariah Court today for marrying without approval and also getting into a polygamous marriage without consent.

The child bride returned to Thailand earlier this month after “immense pressure from Malaysian media”, a senior Thai official was quoted as saying on Aug 11.

The 11-year-old, who is undergoing mental health counselling because of the intense level of attention, is believed to be the trader’s third wife.

“It has been almost two weeks since I saw her face and all I can do is look at our wedding picture whenever I miss my third wife,” the trader told NSTP.

He said his longing for his young wife, known only as Ayu, intensified today as neighbours celebrated Aidiladha with their loved ones.

“I spoke with her over the phone but I still miss her very much. All I have left are our pictures together, which I keep with me all the time,” he said.

The trader said the girl, who is currently under the care of the local social welfare department, was happy and in good health.

“My wife told me not to worry about her safety because her parents are staying close to her.

“I was also informed that her parents will bring her back to their hometown in Narathiwat today,” he said, adding that he has no plans to look for his young wife anytime soon.

Meanwhile, the controversial marriage has prompted the Narathiwat Islamic Religious Council (MAIN) to tighten regulations on marriages involving Malaysians, especially those in polygamous relationships.

“After this, couples must provide to the kadi (judge) a letter from their respective religious authorities allowing a person to marry a polygamist before the (marriage) ceremony can be held.

“This is to ensure that problems do not arise after the marriage,” the source said.

Harussani Zakaria #fundie nst.com.my

Writing, reading Quran in languages other than Arabic is prohibited, says Harussani

PUTRAJAYA: Writing and reading the Quran in languages other than Arabic is prohibited.

In a statement issued by the Quran Printing, Control and Licensing Board (LPPPQ), its chairman Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria said this was because the text of the Quran in other languages not accompanied by the Arabic text could not be considered as Quran.

He said such an act was punishable under the Printing of Quran Text Act (APTQ) 1986 and the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

Harussani, who is also the mufti of Perak, was commenting on the “Let’s Read The Quran” campaign to write and read the Quran in other languages, besides Arabic.

Harussani said as the body responsible for the monitoring of the printing, publication and import of Quran texts under APTQ 1986, the LPPPQ viewed the campaign seriously.

He said the board together with the respective state Islamic religious authorities would take stern action to stop the movement and campaign.

Harussani said Quran which had been translated into other languages for the benefit of those who did not understanding Arabic could not be considered Quranic texts but were “translations of the Quran” or “interpretations of the Quran.”

Translations of the Quran which were not accompanied by the original text in Arabic were prohibited as it was feared they could cause confusion, he added.

Shabudin Yahya #fundie nst.com.my

Rape victims can have a good life if they marry their rapists

KUALA LUMPUR: Rape victims can have an opportunity to lead a healthy and good life if they marry their rapists, Tasek Gelugor Member of Parliament Datuk Shabudin Yahya told the Dewan Rakyat today.

According to him, girls aged between nine to 12 years old are "physically and spiritually" ready for marriage.

“They reach puberty at the age of nine or 12 and at that time, the physical state of their body is already akin to those 18 years of age.

"For a wife who was raped, if she can marry (the rapist) she would not go through such a bleak future.

"At least she has someone who can become her husband. So, this will be a remedy to social problems," he said while debating the Child Sexual Offences Bill here today.

He said this when objecting an amendment to the bill which was proposed by DAP's Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching who wanted the bill to be amended to also spell out the invalidity of child marriages.

The proposed amendment was voted down and the bill was subsequently passed with no major changes.

In explaining further the reason for his opinion, Shabudin pointed out that it is also not fair to assume that a person who committed a sexual offence will continue being a bad person.

“Maybe he repents, or regrets. It is better to have people who regret rather than people who do not regret.

"So in this case, let us not put an assumption that the person will remain bad. (Marriage) can be an exit clause for this problem,” he said.

The former Syariah court judge was defending existing law which allows minors to be married off as long as their parents or guardians seek permission from the Syariah Courts.

Mukesh Singh #fundie nst.com.my

One of the men convicted for raping and killing a woman in a shocking and brutal 2012 gang attack on a New Delhi bus said in a TV documentary that if their victim had not fought back she would not have been killed.

Instead, the 23-year-old woman should have remained silent, said Mukesh Singh, who was driving the bus when the woman was attacked.

“Then they would have dropped her off after ‘doing her,’” he said in a documentary being released next week. The filmmakers released transcripts of the interview, which was recorded in 2013, today.

Singh and three other attackers were convicted in a fast-track court in 2013. The appeals against their death sentences are pending in the Supreme Court.

“A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy,” he said, according to the transcripts. “A decent girl won’t roam around at 9 o’clock at night .... Housework and housekeeping is for girls, not roaming in discos and bars at night doing wrong things, wearing wrong clothes.”

[...]

In the interview, Singh suggested that the attack was to teach the woman and her male friend a lesson that they should not have been out late at night.

He also reiterated that rape victims should not fight back: “She should just be silent and allow the rape.”

He also said that the death penalty would make things even more dangerous for women: “Now when they rape, they won’t leave the girl like we did. They will kill her.”

Cardinal Odilo Scherer #fundie nst.com.my

[Article about Brazil allowing abortions for fetuses lacking brains]

On Wednesday, protesters from several religious orders came to the court to pray, surrounded by images of fetuses and the patron saint of Brazil.

“The anencephalics are living human beings... Society, through its institutions, should foster full respect for their human dignity and their fragile and short lives,” wrote Cardinal Odilo Scherer in an editorial condemning abortion that was published in the media.