AFRICA LAW & JUSTICE

SOMALIA SPEAKER TO DISAPPROVE “ANTI-ISLAM” SEX ABUSE LEGISLATION

SOMALIA SPEAKER TO DISAPPROVE “ANTI-ISLAM” SEX ABUSE LEGISLATION
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Renson Mwakandana

Prior to the introduction of a contentious measure on sexual offenses, the speaker of Somalia’s lower house threatened to “reject any bill that breaches Islamic principles.”

Deputy Speaker Sadiya Yasin Haji Samatar, who has spoken against gender-based violence, is the bill’s sponsor. She threatened to leave the nation if the law was not enacted and said threats had been made against her because of it.

Sadiya Yasin Haji Samatar, Deputy Speaker Somalia parliament /Hiiran Online/

It is still unknown if she intends to present a new measure or reintroduce one that the last parliament rejected in 2020 due to provisions that were purportedly anti-Islamic.

The previous measure was controversial since it dealt with married couples’ sexual offenses and the minimum marriage age, which is 18 in the country’s proposed constitution but 15 in Islam.

Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur, commonly known as Aden Madobe remarked stating  that Article 2 of the Constitution specifies that no religion other than Islam shall be preached in Somalia and that all legislation in Somalia should be based on the Quran.

Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur /Hiiran Online/

“[Parliamentary] bylaw 75 states that no bill can be tabled at parliament if it violates the Islamic Sharia, the constitution, parliamentary bylaws and other laws of the country. The Speaker will therefore cancel debate on any such a bill,” he said.His remarks are thought to imply that the bill would probably be rejected.

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