On July 18th 2018, the report of the 2009 Committee considering reform of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) of 1951, was finally released on the website of the Ministry of Justice and public comments called for. It was understood that dissenting opinions between Committee members on some of the key issues was the... Continue Reading →

Muslim Personal Law Reforms Action Group (MPLRAG) is deeply disturbed and concerned by comments of Minister of Justice Thalatha Athukorale, in recently quoted statements regarding reforms of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) published on July 6th on the Jaffna Muslim website, in which the Minister commented that the Ministry is not able to... Continue Reading →

Hon. Minister Thalatha Athukorale Minister of Justice 16, May 2018 Dear Honourable Minister, Official Public Release of Report on Proposed Reforms to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) of Sri Lanka As members of the Muslim community, and representing those deeply invested in the welfare of the community, as well as the upliftment of... Continue Reading →

Dear Justice Saleem Marsoof and Members of the Committee, We have perused the document that was recently made public on groundviews.org purporting to be report on the reforms recommended by your Committee. We have reason to believe given the content of the report that this is probably the very document your Committee submitted to the... Continue Reading →

Muslim Personal Law Reforms Action Group (MPLRAG) welcomes the submission of the report by the Committee appointed to consider reforms to the Sri Lankan Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA), to the Ministry of Justice, on January 22nd 2018. Although it has taken considerable time, we deeply appreciate the efforts of the Committee and their... Continue Reading →

DEAR MINISTER, WHERE IS THE REPORT? The Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) has been in force since 1956 and governs marriage and family matters for Sri Lankan Muslims. The Act contains many discriminatory and unequal provisions that particularly affect Muslim women and girls in Sri Lanka. This includes: the lack of minimum age of... Continue Reading →

We are aghast at the recently revealed submissions attributed to the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulema (ACJU) with regard to reforming the Muslim Marriages and Divorce Act (MMDA). This Act promulgated in 1951 has colonial roots and is a combination of Islamic law and local culture. Due to its detrimental impact on Muslim women and girls,... Continue Reading →

Download for  FAQ's on Minimum Age of Marriage in Sinhala What is the minimum age of marriage in Sri Lanka?  The minimum age of marriage in Sri Lanka is 18 years for all citizens except Muslims. In 1995 the General Marriage Registration Ordinance of 1907 (GMRO or general law) and the Kandyan Marriage and Divorce... Continue Reading →