The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi ll
said the proposed Kano Islamic Family Law was not meant to stop Muslims
from marrying up to four wives as prescribed by Islam.During
the 50th anniversary of Ambassador Wali in Abuja last Sunday, the
monarch said a committee he has set up is seeking to propose a law which
will expect men to fulfill certain conditions before they can marry
more wives. The law will also address outlaw forced marriages, make
domestic violence illegal, maintenance of of children and inheritance.
"Those of us in the North have all seen the economic consequences of men who are not capable of maintaining one wife, marrying four. They end up producing 20 children, not educating them, leaving them on the streets, and they end up as thugs and terrorists" the Emir said.
"It will be the first time in Northern Nigeria that a Muslim law on personal status will be codified," he added.
Shedding more light on the proposed family law on Tuesday,
through the Chairman of Islamic Family Law Committee, Dr.Bashir Aliyu,
Sanusi said the law was rather meant to guide Muslims faithful on how
to conduct their family lives in line with the teachings of Islam,
Daily Trust reports.
Emir Sanusi explained that the proposed
law was aimed at digesting issues bordering on marriage, inheritance,
orphans, widows and divorce among others in order to guide Muslims to
the real teachings of Islam.
On the polygamy issue, the emir said,
the law provides that a Muslim can marry additional wife only when he
meets up with two fundamental conditions; that he would be just in
treating his wives and had the means of taking care of more than one
wife.
"These are the two conditions provided by the law and that what Islam says about polygamy. When passed into law, the law will help our judges and lawyers in discharging their duties as administrators of justice.
"It will also guide the community how resolve some family matters. And it will equally prevent alien laws and culture from penetrating into our religion,” he said.
He, however, said the law did not in
any way prescribe punishment for defaulters, saying this was purely the
discretion of the court of law.
He said the 40-member family law
committee had already drafted the law and is currently reviewing it
before submission to the main committee for final draft and subsequent
passage into law by the Kano State House of Assembly.
Sanusi said the committee was able to
reviewed Islamic family laws of the following countries; Morocco,
Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar,Kuwait, Bahrain, and United Arab
Emirate, Malaysia and Jordan before coming up with the draft of proposed
Kano family law.
The emir said members of the committee
comprised of judges, Qhadis,lawyers and experts in Islamic Shari'ah law.
He expressed hope that the law would help the people of Kano state.
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