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Indonesian cleric 'plans to marry seven-year-old girl' | World News | News.com.au

Indonesian cleric 'plans to marry seven-year-old girl'

From correspondents in Jakarta


* Cleric already married to girl, 12
* "Plans to wed others aged seven and nine"
* Defends act - says wife has reached puberty

INDONESIAN police are investigating a wealthy Muslim cleric who married a 12-year-old girl and is reportedly planning to wed others aged seven and nine, a spokesman said today.

Pujiono Cahyo Widiyanto, a 43-year-old businessman and cleric from the Central Java city of Semarang, has courted nationwide controversy over his decision to marry the girl, who comes from a poor family.

Mr Widiyanto has defended the marriage, which is his second, saying the girl had already reached puberty.

"We are investigating the case. We are now gathering witnesses and then we'll look for evidence on what laws the man might have broken, and we'll follow up from there," national police spokesman Abubakar Nataprawira said.

The Jakarta Post daily reported Mr Widiyanto could be charged under a 2002 child protection law for forcing or trading a child into sex and for marrying below the legal minimum age of 16.
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Child protection activists have also called for Mr Widiyanto to be charged with child trafficking.

"I'm very concerned, disappointed and angry. Such cases often happen in the villages where daughters are married off young because their families are facing economic troubles," Seto Mulyadi, chairman of the national child protection commission, said.

Mr Widiyanto has been backed by some high-profile Muslim figures, including Hilman Rosyad Syihab, the deputy head of the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), according to the Detikcom online news service.

Islam allows for marriage regardless of whether a girl has reached sexual maturity, Mr Syihab was quoted as saying.

"It is not a problem under Islamic law," Mr Syihab said.

Detikcom also said Mr Widiyanto is planning to marry two more girls aged seven and nine.

Nearly 90 per cent of Indonesia's 234 million people are Muslim, most of whom practise a moderate strain of the religion.