Turkey‘s legal age of marriage is 18 but the practice of underage weddings in religious ceremonies is widespread. Now, the Diyanet the directorate of religious affairs said that, under Islamic law, girls as young as nine could marry, BBC reports.

The current outcry was started by a statement on adolescence posted online by the Diyanet, the state body which administers religious institutions and education.

It said that, according to Islamic law, the beginning of adolescence for boys was the age of 12 and for girls the age of nine. On the same website, it said that whoever reached the age of adolescence had the right to marry.