Indonesia Probes Cleric for Marrying 12-yr Girl
According to Indonesian press reports, the Indonesian government is looking into reports of a marriage between an adult Muslim cleric and a 12-year old girl.
The Muslim cleric did not only reportedly marry the girl, he also wants to marry more minors.
In short, pedophilia committed by a Muslim cleric, who hides behind customs and traditions of 1500 ago.
“We want to clarify first with Ulfa’s parents whether the marriage has taken place before taking any action,” the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) chairwoman Masnah Sari told The Jakarta Post, as quoted by Al Arabiya.
The KPAI will also talk to the witnesses of the marriage – for Islam demands the presence and approval of several witnesses in a wedding – and the minister who married the adult pervert to the 12-year old girl.
The cleric, Pujiono Cahyo, known as Syech Puji, is a 43-year old rich businessman who owns a Muslim boarding school in Java. He became a household name during the month of Ramadan when he donated billions of rupiah to the poor who could not afford to buy food for themselves and their family during the Muslim holy month.
Puji himself admitted marrying the girl, saying that the wedding ceremony was attended by “thousands” of people, all of whom should be jailed for being complicit in the forced marriage and rape of their 12-year old fellow citizen.
It seems likely that Indonesian authorities will set the girl free, for marrying under aged girls is illegal in the majority Muslim country. According to Indonesian law, a girl has to be at least 16 years old if she marries. Men who marry to a girl younger than 16-years old could face up to five years in prison according to Indonesian law.
Police will try to find out whether Puji already consumed his marriage or not. If he did, the possible penalty would go up significantly while, and this is important for the girl, it means she is no longer a virgin, greatly limiting her options in the future. There will not be a lot of Indonesian Muslim men willing to marry her, meaning that even if the marriage is declared illegal, she will probably feel forced to marry Puji once she’s 16-years old, for not doing so would quite likely make her a social outcast.
