CAIRO: The Islamic Research Academy sent a number of required amendments on the law of children custody in September of 2007. But Ambassador Moshira Khatab, who was former Director General of the National Council of the Motherhood and Childhood, ignored amendments. Ignoring the amendment request caused legal problems in the law legislation in 2010. The council raised the necessity of amending articles of the law to ensure transferring child custody from the mother or grandmother to the father; to allow grandparents to see the child whether in the presence of parents or not; to allow non-custodial to host the child in their house if the custodial accepts; and those who gave the judicial rule to see the child. The Islamic Research Academy kept the age of custody for males at 15 although it extends until the child is married. The academy turned the law to the Jurisprudence research committee, lead by Dr. Abdel-Fatah al-Shiekh, to study the law to cope with recent developments and interest of children. A member of the Islamic Research Academy, Dr. Ahmed Kamal Aboul Magd, and a number of officials in Al-Azhar met with five fathers who organized a strike in front of Al-Azhar sheikhdom. The officials promised they will study the issue in accordance with the Islamic Sharia Law and through opinions of the four Islamic scholars. Aboul Magd asked them to prepare a memorandum after listening their complaints against the law. An official in Al-Azhar, Dr. Mahmoud Imbaby, said the Islamic Research Academy sent the required amendments to the National Council for Motherhood and Childhood. He found ignoring the academy's opinion is a main reason for the current crisis, which caused the fathers to strike to demand changing the law. The Academy will issue a report in which it will clarify its situation of required amendments to resolve the crisis.
