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 →

We the undersigned find the recent statements of the Chairperson of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), that reform of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) is not needed, to be unacceptable. It is patently clear that the ACJU has contributed to the 8-year delay in the reform process despite the desperate need for... Continue Reading →

DOWNLOAD: (Tamil) Statement urging State Accountability on MMDA Reforms அகில இலங்கை ஜம்மியதுல் உலமா சபையின் (ACJU) தலைவரினால் அண்மையில் வெளியிடப்பட்டுள்ள, “முஸ்லிம் விவாக மற்றும் விவாகரத்து சட்டத்;தில் திருத்தங்கள் தேவையற்றன” என பொருள்படும் கூற்றுக்கள் ஏற்றுக் கொள்ளப்பட முடியாதவை என கீழே ஒப்பமிட்டுள்ள நாங்கள் அனைவரும் காண்கிறோம். இவ் விவாக மற்றும், விவாகரத்துச் சட்டத் திருத்தமானது இன்றியமையாத தேவையாக இருக்கும் இக்காலகட்டத்தில் இச்சீர்திருத்தத்துக்கான செயல்முறையினை 8 வருடங்களாக இழுத்தடிப்புச் செய்ய ACJU பங்களித்துள்ளது என்பது தௌ;ளத்... Continue Reading →