Girls can marry at 9: Morocco scholar

RABAT: Morocco’s top body of Islamic scholars has condemned a Muslim theologian for issuing a religious decree that girls as young as nine- years-old can marry.

Morocco’s high council of Ulemas “denounces the utilisation of religion to legitimise the marriage of nine-year-old girls”, it said in a statement on Sunday.

Sheikh Mohamed Ben Abderrahman Al-Maghraoui earlier this month said the marriage of nine-year-old girls was allowed by Islam as the Prophet Mohammed consummated the marriage to one of his wives when she was that age.