Over the last month or so, there’s been a significant rise in marriages among Muslim families in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal. Reports suggest that the Government of India’s decision to increase the marriage age of girls from 18 to 21 could be a factor behind the alleged “rush” to get daughters married.
Last year in November, 508 marriages took place in the MP capital, while in December, the figure almost doubled to 937. In January, the figure was 683, much higher than usual. However, an impending lockdown could also have been a reason for the surging number.
The secretary-in-charge of the Masjid Committee, Yasir Arafat, said people are scurrying in fear of the law. He said that in the economically weaker Muslim classes, girls are usually married off at 18 and boys at 21.
Ever since the Central Government approved the proposal to increase the age from 18 years to 21 years, many Islamic leaders have opposed it. The proposal to increase the age of marriage to 21 years was opposed by the All India Muslim Personal Board on grounds that this would increase crimes of a sexual nature.
Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman Burke had opposed this move strongly and said that it would lead to a rise in pride and self-centeredness. The Personal Law Board argued that while people usually do not get their daughters married off at a young age, sometimes they are forced to by the situation.
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