MPLRAG Submission for the 2026 Stakeholder Consultation on MMDA
After promising to end violence against women and protect the rights of all children, the current government convened a Committee in late 2025 to review […]
Read more
STATEMENT: MPLRAG Applauds Women in Parliament Prioritising Child Rights
We applaud the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus of Sri Lanka, under the leadership of Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj, for prioritising law reform relating to children and […]
Read moreමුස්ලිම් විවාහ හා දික්කසාද පනත මේ මොහොතේ ප්රතිසංස්කරණ කිරීමට අවශ්ය නැතැයි විජිත හේරත් අමාත්යවරයා විසින් කර ඇති ප්රකාශය එම පනත පරිශෝදනය සඳහා නගා ඇති දිගුකාලීන ඉල්ලීම් ප්රතික්ෂේප කරයි.
මේ මොහොතේ මුස්ලිම් විවාහ සහ දික්කසාද පනත (MMDA) ප්රතිසංස්කරණ කිරීමට අවශ්යතාවක් මතු නොවේ යැයි අමාත්ය විජිත හේරත් මහතා විසින් පසුගියදා කළ ප්රකාශය පිළිබඳව අප දැඩි […]
Read moreSTATEMENT: Minister Vijitha Herath’s comments that MMDA reforms are not on the agenda fails to recognize long standing demands for change.
We are deeply concerned about the recent remarks made by Minister Vijitha Herath that no need has arisen to change the Muslim Marriage and Divorce […]
Read more
ප්රකාශනය: මුස්ලිම් මන්ත්රීවරු මුස්ලිම් විවාහ සහ දික්කසාද පනතේ (MMDA) ප්රතිසංස්කරණ පාවා දෙති: ශ්රී ලාංකීය මුස්ලිම් කාන්තාවන් සඳහා යුක්තිය තර්ජනයට ලක් වෙයි.
2023 ජූනි 8 දිනැති ලිපියක් මගින් මුස්ලිම් මන්ත්රීවරුන් 18 දෙනෙකු විසින් අධිකරණ අමාත්ය විජයදාස රාජපක්ෂ වෙත MMDA ප්රතිසංස්කරණ පිළිබඳ කෙටුම්පතට ප්රතිචාර වශයෙන් නිර්දේශ ඉදිරිපත් කරන […]
Read more
அறிக்கை: MMDA திருத்தக் கோரிக்கைகளுக்குத் துரோகம் இழைக்கும் முஸ்லிம் பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்கள்: அச்சுறுத்தலுக்குள்ளாகியுள்ள இலங்கை முஸ்லிம் பெண்களுக்கான நீதி
முஸ்லிம் திருமண மற்றும் விவாகரத்துச் சட்டத்தினை (MMDA) திருத்துவதற்கான சட்ட மூல வரைபுக்கு பதிலளிக்கும் விதத்தில் 18 முஸ்லிம் பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்கள் தமது பரிந்துரைகளை நீதியமைச்சர் விஜயதாச ராஜபக்சவுக்கு ஜூன் 08, 2023 திகதியிடப்பட்ட […]
Read more
STATEMENT: Muslim MPs betray MMDA reforms – Justice for Sri Lankan Muslim women under threat (Updated July 15, 2023)
In a letter dated 8 June 2023, 18 Muslim Members of Parliament (MPs) submitted recommendations in response to the Draft Bill on MMDA Reforms to […]
Read more
STATEMENT: MPLRAG welcomes the public release of the report by the Advisory Committee on MMDA Reforms
MPLRAG welcomes the recent public release of the report of the Advisory Committee on recommendations to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act of 1951 (MMDA). […]
Read more
OPEN LETTER TO ALL REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PEOPLE
President of Sri LankaMinister of JusticeMinisters of the CabinetMembers of Parliament OPEN LETTER TO ALL REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PEOPLE Amidst considerable hardship faced by the […]
Read more
Statement: No more delays. Reform MMDA Now!
In light of the severe economic crisis and political upheaval this year, Muslim Personal Law Reform Action Group (MPLRAG) made a strategic decision to pause […]
Read more
Signing a Muslim Marriage Contract is Our Right!
Over the past few years, MPLRAG has been heavily involved in the debates and conversations about reform of the Sri Lankan Muslim Marriage and Divorce […]
Read more
Polygamy in Sri Lanka – (UPDATED) Position Paper 3
In September 2020, MPLRAG’s position paper on polygamy while calling for prohibition, also reflected an alternative of strict conditions that relegated the practice to exceptional […]
Read more
FAQs about the MMDA
1. What is the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA)? The present-day Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) was enacted in 1951 and is a […]
Read more
#LetHerSign Voices
As we wind down the #LetHerSign campaign, we recognise that the MMDA reform movement is louder with new voices of all ages and ethnicities from […]
Read more
#LetHerSign Campaign
ABOUT #LETHERSIGN Under the Sri Lankan Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA), Muslim women are prevented from signing their own marriage documents – the Marriage […]
Read more
#LetherSign பற்றி
இலங்கை முஸ்லிம் விவாக மற்றும் விவாகரத்துச் சட்டத்தின் (MMDA) கீழ், முஸ்லிம் பெண்கள் தங்களது சொந்த விவாகப் பத்திரத்தில் கையெழுத்திடத் தடை செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளனர் – விவாகப் பிரகடனப் பத்திரம் மற்றும் விவாகப் பதிவேடு. #LetHerSign […]
Read more
#LetHerSign ව්යාපාරය ගැන
ශ්රී ලංකාවේ මුස්ලිම් විවාහ හා දික්කසාද පනත (MMDA) යටතේ මුස්ලිම් කාන්තාවන්ට තමන්ගේ විවාහ ලියකියවිලිවලට එනම් විවාහ ප්රකාශන පෝරමයට සහ විවාහ ලියාපදිංචි ලේඛනයට අත්සන් කිරීම වලක්වා […]
Read more
ප්රකාශය: MMDA සම්බන්ධ වැදගත් ප්රතිසංස්කරණ පිලිබඳ ප්රගතිශීලී කැබිනට් අමාත්ය තීරණ සාදරයෙන් පිළිගනිමු
මුස්ලිම් විවාහ හා දික්කසාද පනත සම්බන්ධ ප්රධාන ගැටළු සම්බන්ධයෙන් අමාත්ය මණ්ඩලය විසින් ගනු ලැබූ තීරණ අපි අනුමත කරමු: ඒවා නම් 1) විවාහයට අවම වයස අවුරුදු 18 දක්වා ව්යතිරේකයකින් තොරව ඉහළ නැංවීම, 2) විවාහයක් නිල වශයෙන් වලංගු වීම සඳහා මනාලියගේ කැමැත්ත සහ අත්සන අවශ්ය වීම, 3) කාන්තාවන්ට කාති විනිශ්චයකරුවන් වීමට අවස්ථාව ලබා දීම සහ 4) බහු විවාහය අහෝසි කිරීම යි.
Read more
Statement: Progressive Decisions by Cabinet of Ministers on Substantive MMDA Reform are Welcome
We endorse the decisions by the Cabinet of Ministers on key substantive issues relating to the MMDA: 1) raising the minimum age of marriage to 18 years without exceptions 2) requiring the consent and signature of the bride to formalise a marriage 3) allowing women Quazis and 4) abolishing polygamy.
Read more
அறிக்கை: முஸ்லிம் விவாக மற்றும் விவாகரத்துச் சட்டத்தினை அர்த்தமுள்ள வகையில் திருத்துவதற்கான அமைச்சரவையின் முற்போக்கான தீர்மானத்தை வரவேற்கிறோம்.
MMDA தொடர்பாக முக்கிய சட்டப் பிரிவுகள் தொடர்பான அமைச்சரவையின் தீர்மானங்களை நாங்கள் வழிமொழிகிறோம்: 1) எந்தவொரு விதிவிலக்குமின்றி திருமணத்திற்கான ஆகக் குறைந்த வயதெல்லையை 18 ஆக உயர்த்துதல் 2) ஒரு திருமணத்தை வலிதாக்க மணமகளது சம்மத்தினையும், கையொப்பத்தினையும் தேவைப்படுத்தல் 3) பெண் காதிநீதிபதிகளை அனுமதித்தல் மற்றும் 4) பலதாரமணத்தினை ஒழித்தல்.
Read more
Unequal Divorce under the MMDA – Position Paper 4
This position paper is the fourth in a series of position papers analysing the recommendations in the report of the 2009 Committee Appointed to Recommend […]
Read more
MUSLIM WOMEN’S DEMANDS 2020
MMDA MUST BE REFORMED COMPREHENSIVELY The MMDA must be reformed comprehensively to guarantee equality and justice for all Muslims, particularly Muslim women and girls. Muslim […]
Read more
Piecemeal reform will perpetuate discrimination and hardship under the MMDA
Following MP Faiszer Musthapha’s statement on July 12, we note the increased attention that the subject of MMDA reform has received. We also note the […]
Read more
MMDA reform: Muslim women demand equality & justice
The Muslim women in Sri Lanka have persisted with the struggle to reform MMDA for over three decades. This is despite the repeated and abject […]
Read more
The antidote to extremism is ensuring equality, rights and freedoms for all.
MPLRAG response to the public conversation on MMDA After the tragic and dastardly Easter Sunday attacks of April 21, Muslim Personal Law Reform Action Group […]
Read more
Women as Quazis (judges) – Position Paper 2
DOWNLOAD PDF (ENG) – Position Paper 2 – Women as Quazis (Judges) Sinhala and Tamil translations to be added shortly.
Read more
Minimum Age of Marriage – Position Paper 1
DOWNLOAD (ENG) PDF – Position Paper 1 – Minimum Age of Marriage Sinhala and Tamil translations will be available shortly.
Read more
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on MMDA & reforms
Download for FAQs on MMDA in Sinhala FAQs about Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) and reforms 1. What is the Muslim Marriage and Divorce […]
Read more
Study: ‘Unequal Citizens’ – Muslim Women’s Struggle for Justice and Equality in Sri Lanka
This is a comprehensive study covering most aspects of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) currently being discussed. We encourage the reading of this […]
Read moreStatement: MPLRAG’s Response to MP Faiszer Mustapha’s Private Members Bill – Piecemeal MMDA Reform Fails Muslim Women
MP Faiszer Mustapha’s private member bill on reforms to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA), handed over to Parliament on January 5th 2026, signals the ever-increasing support of Muslim communities for family law reforms. Whilst acknowledging the leadership on a few key issues concerning the MMDA, we register our concern and disappointment that the Bill proposes piecemeal reforms.
Read moreமுஸ்லிம் திருமண மற்றும் விவாகரத்துச் சட்ட மறுசீரமைப்பானது நிகழ்ச்சி நிரலில் இல்லை என்ற அமைச்சர் விஜித ஹேரத்தின் கூற்று மாற்றத்திற்கான நீண்டகால கோரிக்கைகளை அங்கீகரிக்கத் தவறிவிட்டது.
முஸ்லிம் திருமண மற்றும் விவாகரத்துச் சட்டத்தை மாற்ற வேண்டிய தேவை தற்போது ஏற்படவில்லை என அமைச்சர் விஜித ஹேரத் அண்மையில் தெரிவித்த கருத்து தொடர்பில் நாம் ஆழ்ந்த கவலையடைகிறோம். இலங்கையில் முஸ்லிம் திருமண மற்றும் […]
Read moreComparison Table on Sri Lankan Muslim Members of Parliament (MPs) positions on MMDA reforms from 2019 – 2023
Sri Lankan Muslim Members of Parliament (MPs) have not held consistent positions on MMDA reforms in recent years. This table shows some of these shifting […]
Read more
