Italian authorities deport imam over justification of child marriage
Imam Ali Kashif and Italian Prime Minister Meloni. Photo: Infocus
In early April 2026, Italian law enforcement authorities expelled 25-year-old Pakistani imam Ali Kashif from the country after he publicly approved marriages with young children, European Times reports.
The preacher tied maturity solely to the onset of puberty. He stated that marriage to nine-year-old girls is acceptable and fully consistent with Islamic law.
Police in the city of Brescia immediately deemed the Pakistani national’s actions a threat to public order and social stability.
Migration services established that Kashif had no legal grounds to remain in the country, after which law enforcement officers took him to Milan airport and sent him to Islamabad within hours.
In Pakistan itself, where the imam was deported, authorities often ignore the problem of forced marriages and forced religious conversion. According to human rights groups, underage girls from Christian and Hindu minorities are systematically abducted and married off in the country.
As the UOJ previously reported, courts in such regions often side with the abductors, recognizing the marriages as legal and depriving victims of the chance to return to their families.
Read also
Sand for construction of Yermak’s residence brought from cemetery, MP says
MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak said that sand illegally removed from a cemetery in Ukrainka was used in the construction of the elite Dynasty cooperative in Kozyn.
Israeli soldiers receive jail terms for mocking statue of the Virgin Mary
Those involved in the act of sacrilege in the village of Debel will spend several weeks behind bars for desecrating a statue of the Mother of God.
Serbian Church officially receives back land of 15th-century monastery
An agreement was signed in Belgrade transferring the territory of the ancient Vojlovica Monastery to the Banat Eparchy.
Pat Daniiel comments on conflict between Phanar bishop and community in Turkey
The Bulgarian Primate believes that the hierarch of the Constantinople Patriarchate should not have forced the Bulgarian community in Edirne to serve in Greek.
Patriarch Bartholomew congratulates Patriarch Shio on his election
In his message of congratulations, Patriarch Bartholomew called for joint witness before the world within the framework of “pan-Orthodox unity.”
Georgian priest in Germany: Patriarch Shio will preserve Ilia II’s legacy
Priest Elias Schlepegrell, who was present at the election in Tbilisi, said there is a clear disposition toward preserving Ilia II’s line and the unity of the Georgian Church.