Syariah (Sharia) Courts have decided the fate of a 41-year-old Kelantanese man who made international headlines last week when he married an 11-year-old girl: He has been fined RM1,800 (US$446).
Che Mohd Karim was found guilty on two charges of unauthorized marriage, and on one of unapproved polygamy. Syariah Subordinate Court judge Surbaineey Hussain imposed a fine of RM900 (US$223) for each of the charges, with the defendant pleading guilty to both.
The accused faced fines of up to RM1,000 (US$250), or a two-month jail term, for the charges he was accused of committing.
The judge agreed that no permission had been given by a registrar or Syariah judge for the solemnization of the union, nor had the courts agreed to endorse another marriage, Che Karim’s would-be third.
Local, as well as international outcry, was sparked after one of Che Karim’s wives posted a photo of the union between the man and child, an 11-year-old Thai national named Ayu.
Che Karim, who also claims to be a village imam, said that he intended not to stay with Ayu until she was 16-years-old, and that the marriage was an attempt to give her a better life. Speaking to media after news of the union broke, Ayu told reporters that she had been “in love” with Che Karim since she was nine.
The child’s parents, living in poverty, defended the union of the middle-aged man to a girl who was the age of his own children, by saying they trusted him to take care of his daughter.
Currently, the Islamic Family Enactment states that: “No marriage may be solemnized under this Enactment where either the man is under the age of 18 or the woman is under the age of 16 except where the Syariah judge has granted his permission in writing in certain circumstances.”
Many citizens and lawmakers were disgusted at legislature that essentially allowed for child marriage, and reform has since been a hot topic on social media, as well as for the prime minister’s cabinet.
Previously, deputy PM Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said that they were currently pursuing “inclusive” reforms, stopping short of explaining who, other than the child’s rights and well-being, they were attempting to include.
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