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