Chechnya dismisses imams who registered marriages between minors

During the meeting held at the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) in Chechnya on October 4, several imams who register marriages between minors in mosques were dismissed. This was reported by a representative of the SAM of Chechnya.

"In the republic, the problem of early marriages remains acute, despite the fact that earlier, the SAM of Chechnya pronounced the decision to cancel registration of marriages between young people who had not attained the age of majority according to the norms of Islam, that was, 17 years old. However, it turned out that some imams have ignored the decision. In particular, several weeks ago, the imam of one of the republic's mosque registered marriage between a young man and a schoolgirl of the 9^th form," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by a representative of the SAM of Chechnya.

Local residents emphasize that the problem of early marriages in Chechnya is really acute and it needs to be addressed.

"Two years ago, my neighbour's daughter got married, though she was still a schoolgirl. Her mother was against the marriage; however, the elder family members insisted on the marriage. Several months ago, the marriage broke up, and at present, the young woman stays at home with her six-month baby. She has no education, and it is not clear how she should go on living. Besides, we should not forget the fact that the attitude toward divorced women in our society is far from normal," said Aina S., a resident of Grozny, a staff member of the education system of Chechnya.