UPDATE: As of Saturday (26 March), Ustaz Mohd Nor Hamzah has clarified that he was merely referring to marriage among teenagers during his speech in Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) recently. He also reiterated that the state government is not supporting child marriage.
Just a few days back, the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development of Malaysia, Rina Harun revealed that the government currently has no plans to ban child marriage.
Soon after, Terengganu State Exco, Mohd Nor Hamzah revealed that the state will not stop teenagers from getting married, despite the divorce rates among the group.
“Love is like the ocean. It’s not easy to stop when the waves hit. The prophets also said that if the youth have the ability to get married, then do so as it can lower their gaze,” Nor said.
He also said that if the youth cannot afford to get married at a young age, then they are encouraged to fast.
However, not all marriages among them last long. In fact, a number of 1,290 divorces were recorded last year in the state alone. According to him, 685 cases of divorce were caused by irresponsibilities & lack of proper education on Islamic marriage.
Other factors of divorce include,
- Communication issues (187 cases)
- Third-party interference (174 cases)
- Social cases (115 cases)
- Economical reasons (83 cases)
- Sexual reasons (14 cases)
- Culture & career ( 4 respectively)
Despite the high divorce rates among teenagers, Nor said that the state will work to educate teenage couples through religious programmes. The 2 programmes which will be implemented include 2 phases – pre-marriage & post-marriage.
“Through these programmes, all bride and groom-to-be will be exposed towards the marriage life in advance which will decrease the problems that may lead to divorce,” Nor explained about the progammes.
A child is not a bride
His statements, however, did not sit well with some of the netizens as they think children and teenagers should be protected at all cost as the time has yet to come for them to tie the knot.
Do you think it is wise for the state to proceed with teenage marriage despite the divorce rates among the group?
Also read: “Do I regret it? Yes, I do” M’sian Who Got Married As A Teen Shares Her Experience
