15-year-old says marriage was not caused by pregnancy

Young groom, Muhd Muaz Mislan, 15, denied tying the knot as a cover-up, reported Harian Metro.

The marriage however received the blessings from respective families.

“Whenever someone marries at a young age, people will start talking and I am prepared for that.

“Our marriage is not because she is pregnant, or she is about to die or any other reason. Instead we received the blessings from both families,” said Muhd Muaz in a Facebook entry yesterday.

Harian Metro however reported that the entry was deleted from the form three students profile who is awaiting his Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 (PT3) or Form 3 Assessment result.

It was reported that he may not continue his studies next year.

The wedding photo of the young couple Muhd Muaz and his partner Nur Izzati Amiera Ishak, 17, went ‘viral’ of various social media platforms as soon as it was posted.

The couple’s solemnization of marriage (akad nikah) was held on November 30 and received the blessings of both families.

A video uploaded on Muhd Muaz’s Facebook showed the couple’s solemnization of marriage with a dowry of RM22.50.

The ceremony was also uploaded by Nur Izzati who had recently completed her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

It is understood according to Clause 8 of the Enactment 17 of the Johor Islamic Family Law which states a groom should be at least be 18-years-old, while the bride should be 16-years-old except if they received a written approval from the syarie judge.

Meanwhile, the United Nations resident coordinator and UNFPA representative for Malaysia, Michele Gyles-McDonnough had said that over 150,000 Malaysians marry at a young age, at age below 19 which in turn compromised their ability to get an education and be apart of a productive labour force.

"Early marriage denies young people the basic right to full realisation of their potential and better options must be made available to Malaysian youth.

"The 2010 UNGASS Country Progress Report showed that in 2009, 477 girls under the age of 19 presented with pregnancy at the Ministry of Health's maternal and child health clinics across the country ,” Michele said.