ABSTRACT
The people of Mafia Island, Tanzania, are Sunni Muslims and utilize the Shafei canon of personal law (sheria). They are also Tanzanian citizens, subject to the laws of the secular state, which are also usually termed sheria in Swahili, sometimes amplified by the term za serikali (of the government) and also known as kanuni. Marriage is virtually universal, and takes place for women after puberty, and for men some years later. In recent years, the age of marriage for both has risen somewhat, since girls do not marry until after the completion of primary schooling at around the age of sixteen, while young men often spend several years living and working on the mainland before marrying. Under Islamic law, men have the right to divorce their wives simply by pronouncing the formula (talaka), although it is not complete until this has been done three times. Husbands do not have to give a reason for this action.
