Peter Dutton has renewed his calls for a citizenship values test after a Muslim refugee found guilty of marrying an underage girl was jailed for just one year.
The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection said those who want to become citizens must follow Australian laws and share Australian values.
Burmese asylum seeker Mohammad Shakir, 35, was sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty to illegally marrying an underage girl in a Melbourne mosque in 2016.
A Melbourne court heard on Wednesday Shakir knew the girl’s (pictured) age and child protection authorities warned him a day before the illegal wedding
Due to time already spent in custody Shakir will be freed in 13 days and must be of good behaviour for six months (pictured is footage of an illegal underage wedding)
Peter Dutton (pictured) has renewed his calls for a values test after a Muslim refugee found guilty of marrying an underage girl was jailed for just one year
Due to time already spent in custody he will be freed in 13 days and must be of good behaviour for six months.
Shakir sobbed and shook as he was jailed for 18 months in the County Court of Victoria on Thursday but the sentence requires his release after serving one year.
‘There are many disturbing aspects to that case, the imam who presided over the marriage ceremony of a 14-year-old to this male, there’s a question mark over him [and] his values,’ Mr Dutton told Ray Hadley on 2GB.
‘This is the reason our citizenship law changes are so important… We’re saying to people if you don’t adhere to Australian laws and Australian values then you’re not becoming an Australian citizen,’ he said.
Burmese asylum seeker Mohammad Shakir, 35, was sentenced to 12-months jail on Thursday for illegally marrying an underage girl in a Melbourne mosque in 2016 (pictured is the imam who presided over the ceremony)
‘That [marrying underage girls] is against the law and against Australian values and we don’t tolerate that in our country, and the imams and whoever else from that community need to hear that message.’
Mr Dutton’s attempted citizenship crackdown was blocked in the Senate earlier this month by Labor, the Greens and the Nick Xenophon Team.
A Melbourne court heard on Wednesday Shakir knew the girl’s age and child protection authorities warned him a day before the illegal wedding.
Former imam of the Bosnian Islamic Society and Noble Park Mosque Ibrahim Omerdic avoided a prison time for officiating the marriage.
The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (pictured) said those who want to become citizens must follow Australian laws and share Australian values
Former imam of the Bosnian Islamic Society and Noble Park Mosque Ibrahim Omerdic (pictured) avoided a prison time for officiating the marriage
Despite being found guilty of unlawfully solemnising the marriage he was given a recognisance release order allowing him to avoid serving his two-month sentence.
Australian Federal Police documents show 57 children – 51 in Sydney – have been identified as being ‘at risk’ of underage marriage over the past two years.
In some cases girls have been taken overseas and forced to wed adult men, leaving Australian authorities unable to act or prevent the marriages.