In late 2025, the Ministry of Justice reconvened the Committee appointed to make recommendations on amendments to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act of 1951 (MMDA). The government also launched a public consultation process from February to April 2026, inviting stakeholders to make submissions on five critical areas of MMDA reform: (1) the minimum age of marriage, (2) the bride’s right to sign her own marriage documents, (3) polygamy and the conditions surrounding it, (4) the Quazi/District/Family court system, and (5) women’s eligibility to serve as Quazis.
In response, multiple organisations and individuals, including ours, made detailed submissions to the Ministry. We made our submissions in good faith, hoping this signalled that the current government was, at last, committed to ending the discrimination faced by Muslim women and girls under the MMDA and Quazi system.
The public consultation process was a meaningful step forward. Yet, it has been over four months since the consultations closed, and there has been no news on the progress of MMDA reform to date.
We are asking directly: What is the status of the MMDA reform process? What has the Ministry of Justice done with the public feedback it has received? Is the MMDA Amendment Bill being finalised? If so, on what timeline? If the intention was to engage in an inclusive law reform process, when will the public be informed?
Silence and delay in law reforms, and especially MMDA reform, is not new. Sri Lankan Muslim women have waited decades for the MMDA to undergo reform. The Committee, convened in 2021 by the then-Minister of Justice, completed its work within a year. However, this was followed by unexplained delays in implementing the long-anticipated reform.
We had hoped the incumbent government, elected on the mandate of social justice and people’s welfare, would act with the urgency that the mandate demanded. Instead, we find ourselves once again waiting on a process that has gone quiet. Each delay has consequences, as it means Muslim girls continue to face the risk of child marriage instead of completing their education, and Muslim brides remain unable to formally sign and consent to their marriages. It means more Muslim women and their families face unjust divorce procedures and must endure the difficulties within the current Quazi system. In essence, until the MMDA is comprehensively reformed, Muslim women and girls will remain unequal citizens.
These reforms are not only a matter of justice for Muslim women and girls, but will benefit the entire Muslim community and Sri Lankan society at large. A fair and just family law will uphold the dignity of every family member. At the same time, a functional and effective Quazi / family court system will reduce prolonged delays, ease the burden on families and courts alike, and strengthen public trust in the justice system as a whole.
We recognise that reforming the MMDA means navigating and balancing the pressure from conservative elements resisting change, as well as from racist and majoritarian voices who exploit the delay to call for the repeal of the Act. We reject both positions and have always maintained that the only responsible path forward is comprehensive reform of the MMDA, without any compromise, grounded in Islamic principles of justice, equality and compassion, and fully compliant with Article 12 of Sri Lanka’s Constitution. Neither hesitation nor half-measures serve the Muslim community; they only prolong the harms faced by Muslim women and girls.
This government came into office promising to end violence against women and to protect the rights of all children. Muslim women and girls are watching and waiting to see whether those promises extend to them.
We urgently call on the Ministry of Justice and the Committee appointed to advise the Minister on reforms to:
- publicly disclose the current status of the MMDA Amendment Bill;
- provide a clear timeline for the legislative process, Cabinet approval and tabling of the MMDA reform Bill in Parliament; and
- ensure that all areas of discrimination that women and girls face under the MMDA and Quazi system are addressed.
Muslim women and girls have engaged with this process and made their voices heard. Now it is the government’s turn to act, visibly, and without any further delay.
No more delays. Reform the MMDA now!
Statement issued by Muslim Personal Law Reform Action Group (MPLRAG), Islamic Women’s Association for Research and Education, and Human Elevation Organisation.
