October 27, 2008	Monday	Shawwal 27, 1429

JAKARTA, Oct 26: An Indonesian child protection agency is investigating reports of a marriage between a Muslim cleric and a 12-year-old girl, the Jakarta Post newspaper reported on Sunday.

The newspaper said the 43-year-old cleric from Central Java allegedly married the minor girl with her parents’ consent in August and planned to marry two more girls, aged seven and nine.

The government-backed Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) plans to question the cleric, the girl, her parents, the minister who married them and witnesses of the marriage.

Under the Indonesian law, a woman must be at least 16 years old to marry. Marriage with a minor carries a maximum five year jail term.

The cleric is a rich businessman who owns a Muslim boarding school in Central Java. He made headlines in local newspapers after donating billions of rupiah to the poor during the fasting month of Ramazan.—Reuters