Kano: Army Cleric makes HIV status report compulsory before marriage

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

The chief Imam of Bukavu Barrack’s mosque in Kano State, Captain Hamisu Mustapha, has declared that HIV status and pregnancy test must be requirements for their daughter’s marriage contract.

 Captain Mustapha, who made the declaration during the third edition of Quranic graduation ceremony of Fatima Islamiyya Littahfizul Qur’an in the barracks at the weekend, stated that they would also present their daughter’s HIV and pregnancy tests to the person that come to marry her.

According to him, “Whoever wants to marry our daughter here in the Bukavu barrack, we have decreed upon ourselves that the person must present to us, his HIV status and other health reports. We also present to him our daughter’s HIV and pregnancy tests, so that she would not infect the person she wants to marry with a disease or go to his house with pregnancy unknown to him, going by Islamic laws. In Islam, marriage contract must be based on health fitness, otherwise the marriage is invalid.”

He also stated that anybody can come to the barrack to seek for their daughters’ hand in marriage provided he is of good behaviour and knows the full address and phone number of the person he is visiting and also the person is aware of the visit.

Captain Mustapha allayed fears of people coming to barrack to seek for their daughters’ hands in marriage, saying that everybody with good behaviour can come, provided he is not carrying any weapon or other incriminating objects and be screened at the gate before entering the barrack.

The graduation ceremony took place at the mosque’s premises and the 47 graduating students that comprised both male and female were presented with the certificates of graduation and other prizes.