Muslim cleric marries 12yr-old
2008-10-26 09:36
Jakarta - An Indonesian child protection
agency is investigating reports of a marriage between a Muslim
cleric and a 12-year-old girl, the Jakarta Post newspaper
reported on Sunday.
The newspaper said the 43-year-old cleric from Central Java
allegedly married the minor girl with her parents' consent in
August and planned to marry two more girls, aged seven and
nine.
The government-backed Indonesian Child Protection
Commission (KPAI) plans to question the cleric, the girl, her
parents, the minister who married them and witnesses of the
marriage.
Under the Indonesian law, a woman must be at least 16 years
old to marry. Marriage with a minor carries a maximum of five
years.
The cleric is a rich businessman who owns a Muslim boarding
school in Central Java. He made headlines in local newspapers
after donating billions of rupiah to the poor during the
fasting month of Ramadan.
His first wife is 26.