This is a huge step for the Saudi government and not an easy one to take. According to this Arab News report, there was heated debate in the Shoura Council over the issue. One side claimed that raising the age regularized the system and brought the Kingdom into compliance with international standards. The other, arguing from the weight of history and religion, claimed that physical signs of sexual maturity were the defining characteristics of adulthood.
The ramifications of this decision are manifold. It will affect things like criminal prosecution and capital punishment. How it affects rules, laws, and customs regarding marriage are yet to be discovered.
JEDDAH: The Shoura Council has passed legislation raising the age of adulthood from 15 to 18 amid strong opposition from the council’s president and some members, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported yesterday.
A total of 93 members supported the amendment, which defined adulthood as starting at the age of 18. According to the daily, the Islamic, Judicial and Child Rights Committee tried hard to maintain the signs of puberty or the age of 15 as the beginning of adulthood.
The age of adulthood has been a topic of debate among Islamic scholars for a long time. Some of them consider showing signs of manhood or menstruation as the end of childhood.
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November:26:2008 - 14:16
A step forward “into compliance with international standards”? Didn’t Robert Kennedy campaign to lower the voting age to seven?
November:26:2008 - 16:07
It only feels that way, every four years or so…
November:27:2008 - 14:15
[...] passed in Saudi Arabia – opposed by some religious scholars – raising the age of adulthood from 15 to 18. Posted by Ayesha Saldanha Print Version Share [...]