Marriage is my right: 14-year-old girl
PETALING JAYA - SITI Maryam Mahmood is standing firm by her
decision to get married at a young age.
'Marriage is the right of the individual and I am well-prepared
to take up the duties of a wife,' said the teenager, fondly called
Maya by her family. 'I have thought about the responsibilities and
the consequences of marrying at a young age.
'At the same time, I have my mother to guide me on my marriage
and my wifely duties,' she told Mingguan mStar, the weekly Malay
news magazine of The Star.
Maya, who got to know her husband, 23-year-old Abdul Manan
Othman, early this year when he was giving tuition on religion to
her two younger siblings, said both their families were open-minded
about the marriage although it had sparked a controversy.
The couple married on Oct 22 but caught public attention only
when they took part in a 1Malaysia wedding reception organised by
the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) last
week.
Maya said she was not forced into the marriage. 'He proposed to
me and both our families agreed ... that is the important thing,'
she said, refuting suggestions that girls who marry young are
denied the opportunity to learn and develop to their full potential
because they are 'forced to be adults' through marriage.
-- THE STAR/ANN