After First Marriage Performed by a Mufti, Religious Affairs Informs, Muftis Not Authorized Yet

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Following the first marriage performed by a mufti, a religious civil official, taking place on November 15 in a mass marriage ceremony organized by Bismil municipality, to which a trustee had been appointed, the Directorate of Religious Affairs has issued a written statement and pointed out that the muftis have not been authorized to perform civil marriage yet.

Directorate of Religious Affairs in its statement said "Before an authorization of the muftis by the Ministry of Interior Affairs, performing civil marriages is not possible".

Bismil Municipality had said "we broke new ground"

In the mass marriage ceremony that took place on November 15, Turgay Gülenç, who was appointed as trustee to the municipality had said that they "broke new ground".

After the registrar performed the first marriage, Mufti Bismil District Mufti Ahmet Durmuş performed the marriage of a couple. The marriage of other couples was performed by the registrar.

Giving the official marriage certificate to the married couples, Durmuş stated that he has eight children and advised the couples to have at least five children.

30 couples got married in the mass ceremony in total.

CLICK - First Mufti* Marriage Performed

Directorate of Religious Affairs: We have not authorized Muftis yet

Upon news spreading as to civil marriage being performed by a Mufti, Directorate of Religious Affairs has issued a written statement on its official website. The Directorate said:

"In line with the amendment made in Civil Registry Services Act No. 5490, a provision has been added to the law that Provincial and District Offices of Mufti's will be assigned and granted the authority to perform civil marriages yet the Ministry of Interior Affairs has not undertaken any authorization with this regards yet.

"As such, before an authorization of the Offices of Mufti by the Ministry of Interior Affairs, performing marriages is not possible.
"Regarding the issue, the Ministry of Interior Affairs has planned to prepare an education programme and a handbook to guide".

What happened?

The Law Draft on Amendment in Population Services that was protested by women for weeks was approved at the General Assembly of the Parliament on October 19, 2017.

Proposed as part of an omnibus bill, the draft law on the amendments to the Law on Population Registration included articles that allow religious leaders to perform a legally valid civil marriage and a verbal statement be a legally valid form of declaration for a birth registration.

The draft law on the amendments to the Law on Population Registration was discussed on the Commission of the Parliament on Internal Affairs. Upon objection of some woman MPs from opposition parties, the draft law was referred back to the Sub-Commission for approval.

The Sub-Commission approved the first six articles of the draft.

President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said regarding the draft that stirred criticism, "The Parliament will pass this law whether you like it or not".

The draft was approved with the votes of AKP and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) MPs.

*A mufti is an Islamic scholar who interprets and expounds Islamic law. Muftis are jurists qualified to give authoritative legal opinions.
(ÇT/DG)