Source: ET
SYDNEY: A Muslim cleric was Tuesday charged in Australia with conducting an illegal marriage between a 26-year-old man and a 12-year-old girl.It follows the arrest of a Lebanese national – the “husband” – last week on child sex offences.Police said the imam, reportedly Pakistan-born, was arrested in Sydney on Monday afternoon by the Child Abuse Squad and charged with solemnisation of a marriage by an unauthorised person.He was granted strict conditional bail to appear in court on April 2.Last week police revealed that the Lebanese man, in Australia on a student visa, met a 12-year-old girl in the Hunter region north of Sydney in 2013 and allegedly became involved in a sexual relationship with her.
Categories: Australia, Europe and Australia
Unless authorised by law of land no Imam is supposed to conduct Nikah. How he did it if illegal deserves punishment.
This is not quite such a ‘straight forward’ case. (let’s forget the age of the bride for the moment).
If a ‘religious ceremony’ is not recognized by the state than performing it is – for the state – null and void and therefore also not a ‘crime’. (my opinion).
Strange view point. You live in a country which has clear rules and regulations. As citizen of that country follow it. If it was compulsion why the Arab did not take the girl to Lebanon for Nikah? Pakistani living in Germany do it by visiting Pakistan and not in Germany.
The ‘clear rules’ state that ‘religious marriages’ have no significance ‘for the purpose of the law’.
Only when ‘religious marriages’ are accepted by law then, if they do not comply with the law, such as ‘under-age’ or ‘bigamy’ could they be legally wrong.
Check it with a lawyer. Stimmts oder hab ich Recht?
Great. The stupid imam should be punished to the full extent of the law as well as the parents of the bride. Child marriage is a crime and should be dealt under the law. It has nothing to do with religion.
Yes, even if religious matter does not apply and it gives some help to the accused in this matter, even then the other law (the law of the land) will apply and the Imam as well as the husband should be dealt with properly.
as per Rafiq sahib saying, the maulvi may get away because Nikah may not be recognized matter.
But the husband will be punished unless he can prove that he only married (reserved) the girl and did not have sex. How these things could be proved!