Bill allowing Turkish muftis to perform civil marriages stokes concern
Turkey's ruling party has introduced legislation authorizing muftis to perform civil marriages, a law critics fear would make it much harder to protect children.
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — “I feel as if we are inching toward Sharia,” a young woman from the southeastern city of Diyarbakir told Al-Monitor, asking her name be withheld. She was concerned by a new bill in the Turkish parliament that would empower state-registered muftis to perform civil marriages.
The bill, submitted to parliament July 25, caused a major controversy over secularism, underage marriage and the motivations of the government in giving new powers to muftis. Muftis are Sunni civil servants who work under the umbrella of Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and do not presently have the right to perform civil marriages. They can, however, perform a religious marriage if requested by the couple, though religious marriage is not recognized by the Turkish state and gives no rights to the spouses.
