An amendment before the Iraqi parliament proposes to make it legal for nine-year old girls to be married.
Iraq MP Ra’aed al-Maliki proposed this bill and conservative Shi’ite supports this. Many people in Iraq don’t agree with this at all and started protesting in many cities across Iraq. I have a 9-year-old cousin that I’m close to and I can’t process that idea that she’s reached the age of consent to be wed.
The Iraq MP has since denied that this amendment could lead to child marriages, claiming that they are “lies fabricated by some out of hatred for applying the provisions of God’s law to those who want them,”. The current legal age to get married in Iraq is 18, exception being if the girls is 15 and has permission from both their parents and a judge.
If this amendment passes, Muslim families could choose between marrying under secular laws or religious laws. If they choose to marry under religious laws, they must choose either the Sunni or Shi’ite legal system.
Some Shi’ite Islamists, known as the Ja’fari, believe the Quran allows girls aged nine and above to get married, but other Shi’ite clerics disagree with this interpretation. Shi’ite Muslims make up about 55-60% of Iraq’s population, so some activists are concerned about this law legalizing child marriage.
Before they can start voting on the amendment, it must be debated in parliament. After the debate happens, they can start scheduling when to start voting. A majority vote in parliament means that the amendment passes and could be enforced as law. As of right now, an official debate has not been scheduled.
