A
prominent Niger Delta Muslim, Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari, has
lashed out at critics of the moves by Nigeria’s Senate to approve
under-age marriage.
Expressing his opinion on the issue this morning, Dokubo, who
converted to Islam as an adult, insisted that it is the right of Muslims
to marry or give out their daughters at any age they wish, adding that
this is not the business of non-Muslims.
Said the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF) leader through Facebook:
“People should learn to respect other people’s sensibilities…We
Muslims have the right to marry when we want or give out our daughters
at any age we want. It is not your business and the law must respect our
right to do so. Anything short of that is an infringement on our
rights. We did not ask you to marry ladies of that age or give your
daughters out in marriage at that age. Plzzzzzzzz respect our
sensibilities.”
News Express reports that the Nigerian Senate has come under fire
from outraged Nigerians and the international community after being
convinced by Senator Ahmad Yarima to drop a constitutional amendment
outlawing marriage to girls under 18. The former Zamfara State governor
who once came under fire for marrying a girl believed to be aged 13 had
argued that Islam recognises under-age marriage.
Issues pertaining to religion usually evoke strong reactions in
Nigeria, a deeply religious nation that has Christianity and Islam as
the dominant faiths.
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