Egyptian cleric says men can marry their own daughters if they are born out of wedlock

In the video Mazen Al-Sersawi cites prominent scholar Imam Al-Shafi'i to make the case that fathers can marry daughters born in adulterous relationships. Photo / Youtube

A prominent Egyptian Salafist cleric has suggested Islam allows men to have sex with their illegitimate daughters and marry them.

Mazen Al-Sersawi cites prominent Muslim scholar Imam Al-Shafi'i as saying because illegitimate daughters are not officially attributed to their fathers they can be married to them, reports The Daily Mail.

He makes the claims in a video which has gone viral and he has been widely criticised for the comments.

In the video, Al-Sersawi said Imam Al-Shafi'i is known for saying men may marry their own daughters that are born out of wedlock.

Al-Sersawi, who teaches at the prestigious Egypt's Al-Azhar University, claims Al-Shafi'I says a girl born in an adulterous relationship is "not really his daughter".

Because an illegitimate daughter does not carry her father's name, "she is not his daughter according to Sharia. She is not officially attributed to him".

The video was made in 2012 but has recently resurfaced online.

Many have expressed their revulsion about his claims with one man tweeting "what is this madness?" and a woman simply saying "ewww".

Earlier this year, another Egyptian cleric, Muftah Mohammad Maarouf, said in televised debate the age for marrying should be low enough for newborn babies to be married off.

He said long as "no harm" is done to the child, there is no problem "preventing her from getting married" adding "in Islamic Sharia there is no set age for marriage when it comes to females".