Article allowing Islamic clerics to conduct marriages passes in Turkish Parliament

Turkish President Erdoğan vowed in a speech last week that the law would pass “whether you like it or not"
Thursday, 19 October 2017 15:18

A legal article allowing Islamic clerics to conduct and register marriages was approved at parliament at a late night session on Oct. 18. 

Half of the 42-article bill has so far passed in parliament with support from ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) votes. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed in a speech last week that the law would pass “whether you like it or not."

"Entitling the Islamic clerics to register civil marriages stands for the forced marriage of little girls, and the legalisation of rapes under the mask of the marriage of minors," Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) said in a statement in July. TKP underlined that the article, which could be implemented only under the rule of sharia, would legitimise religious marriages and "child brides". 

The omnibus bill will be submitted to a parliamentary vote as a whole after the remaining articles are approved and will go into effect after the general vote. 

Under the current laws, even religiously observant couples must be married by a state registrar from the local municipality and not an Islamic cleric. Previously, the government announced in May 2015 that civil marriage would no longer be a legal requirement for "religiously married" citizens.