At a time of rising alarm over the marriage of girls as young as eight years old, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh has declared that such marriages are proper and moral under Sharia law. Indeed, he views such criticism as unfair to these girls despite the fact that such arrangements are viewed as per se child abuse and statutory rape in most other countries.
The Grand Mufti insists “[i]f it is said that a woman below 15 cannot be married, that is wrong. If a girl exceeds 10 or 12 then she is eligible for marriage, and whoever thinks she is too young, then he or she is wrong and has done her an injustice.”
Nevertheless, this week a court in Taif allowed an eleven-year-old to divorce her 75-year-old husband.
She is fortunate in comparison to the eight-year-old girl near Riyadh, who was denied a divorce to a 58-year-old man — at least until she reaches the age of majority.
For the full story, click here.
Exhibit A to counter those who think outmoded religious beliefs do not have dire consequences.
From what I gather, Islamic law permits marriage at any age provided that the parties are physically fit to engage in sexual intercourse (i.e. they must have at least reached puberty).
It is well known that Muhammad himself consumated his marriage to his third wife Aisha when she was only 9 years old and he was in his 50s (!).
Indeed, Islamic law permits marriage between consenting parties. The age of consent in Islamic law is not determined by the number of birthdays- a person is allowed to get married when they reach puberty.
Islamic law views marriage as a contract between consenting parties to establish the legitimacy of children. When the only reason people get married is to have children, the concepts of “love” and “sexual exclusivity” becomes peripheral. That is why men can have four wives and women can have one husband at one time.
As barbaric and uncivilized it may seem to the western observer, marriages at the age of puberty are a norm in many Islamic cultures. As modernization occurs and men and women get educated and enter lucrative careers the focus of marriage shifts from propagation of children to a life spent together in love. This shift is seen in many Muslim countries. However, the rule established by Sharia remains valid. A person is allowed to get married at attaining puberty but not necessarily encouraged to do so.
As far as Muhammad’s marriage is concerned, it is widely reported and certainly accepted by Muslims too, that Aisha was 9 years old when she married Muhammad. The notion is historically inaccurate. Allama Parwez researched the subject and proved that Aisha was at least 19 when she married Muhammad. The age difference between the two was till significant but she was not a 9 year old child.
http://www.toluislam.com/index.pl/parwez?wid=154&func=viewSubmission&sid=1272
With all due respects to anyone’s religous beliefs, forcing a 10 year old girl to be married is blatant child abuse and should be handled by the authorities as such. This is what happens when religous law becomes mixed with or dominant to civil law. It is interesting that the one girl could not get divorced until she reached the age of majority, but she could get married before the age of majority. Is it just me or is that backwards? Junnaid, I think that men are allowed to be married to more than one woman because it is the men who are making up the rules. This is the same situation in the Catholic church. Why is it that a 10 year old girl can get married, but we never see any stories about 10 year old boys being forced to get married or being denied a divorce? Because these particular religious beliefs were designed by men to prevent women from having an equal say in the matter. Another example of this is the Catholic Church where women cannot be priests and therefore cannot ascend to the highest positions in the Church. It is not Christian and it is not equitable.
Junnaid:
Thank you for the explanation that may well be a correct statement of the rationale involved but convinces few here of its morality or propriety. In so far as the “proof” that Muhammad married a nine year old (or 19 year old, or whatever), is this the same “proof” that puts him on a white winged horse of fire bound for the heavens?
It’s repression and abuse. Period. “Well it’s tradition!” So what. Primogeniture was once a tradition too. Just because you used to do it doesn’t make it right. Saudi Arabia is an evil place run by evil people – the same people who attacked us on 9/11 using Afghanistan as a base of operations. Advocating child sex on top of all their other retrograde repressive/oppressive behaviors is quite simply disgusting and inhuman. The Qua’ran says it’s acceptable for men to lay with animals (not women however) but I don’t see them lining up to marry and hump sheep. It’s also further evidence that they are NOT our ally in action or in spirit.
These are collectively the most evil people on the planet if you want to judge a society by how it’s government operates. Compared to our morons or the Israeli war mongers, there is no real comparison. And how come the MSM never mentions that Wahhabism, the official version of Islam SA follows, is the equivalent of Fundamentalist Pentacostals running the show. They base NOTHING in reality. But they are good at inciting hatred between the Sunni, the Shia, the Jews and anyone else they can sink their fascist theocratic fangs into.
There is nothing you can say that will change my mind.
I live for the day when Saudi Arabia pays harshly for what they have done as much as I live for seeing the Neocons and their Israeli Likhud asshole buddies in prison. And by pay, I mean physical removal of all the “royal” family and their vile minions. Quite simply, go fornicate yourself Saudi Arabia. If you were turned into a sheet of glass, I’d cry for your citizens, but I’d laugh at the justice done to your “ruling class”.
I just do not see how a 10 yr old girl is mentally, physically, or spiritually ready to be married. Nor do I see how a grown man can be sexually attracted to one either. I don’t believe for one minute that these men do not have sex with these girls as soon as they’re wed. Those men are sick in the head and they are nothing more than child molestors
Buddha “The Qua’ran says it’s acceptable for men to lay with animals (not women however) but I don’t see them lining up to marry and hump sheep. It’s also further evidence that they are NOT our ally in action or in spirit. ”
That’s just sick. That is something I did not know. I am with you on this!!
That’s what 20 hours of comparative religion gets you. You learn a lot of things you sometimes wish you hadn’t.
Consent has no meaning for a 10 year old girl. There is no reason that any man needs to have sex with, or keep a young girl as a wife. Any man that does so is looking for someone they can control with ease. Holy Books and tradition are not a substitute for ethics. This behavior is unethical and should not be lawful. It allows harm to a young person. Adults should not want to harm a young person, nor should it be legal for them to do so.
Ingrained, irrational, and illogical religious beliefs, such as espoused by Muslim and Christian faiths, represent the main reason we will never be able to establish western-style democracies in Muslim countries.
Accepting that all religions are faith-based—and therefore not founded on factual evidence—no person of one faith has logical standing to criticize a person of another faith. Faith is whatever someone wants to “believe” whether it is raping and controlling prepubescent children in your concubine or killing innocent people because of the manly “god” voices of your heavenly “father” echoing in your head that compel you to follow the good-fight crusade of death and destruction.
Humans simply cannot use logic to rationalize illogical premises such as beliefs in religion that sanction abhorrent behavior just because the “god” of any one of the myriad faiths whispers “his” approval of ‘your actions’ while simultaneously hollering “his” disapproval at those whose faith ‘you’ do not like.
Mr. Bush’s born-again Christian faith is just as irrational and deadly as is Bin Laden’s Muslim faith because they are contemporaneously tugging at the same supernatural deity pleading for “him” to continue to “god bless” the death and destruction they both have wrought on innocent people worldwide.
“Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me”
Eh hem…
You know what they say; “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”
Bob,
Indeed. George Carlin said it best (as he often did). The 11th Commandment should be “Keep thy religion to thyself.”
JUNNAID,
SO ALL THOSE HADITHS OF MUHAMMED ARE ALL FILLED WITH LIES ABOUT THE AGE OF LITTLE AISHA, EH?
LOL!
PATHETIC, PATHETIC, PATHETIC.
YOUR “PROPHET” MARRIED A 6 YEAR OLD AND CONSUMMATED THAT MARRIAGE WHEN SHE WAS JUST 9. THE HISTORY BOOKS HAVE RECORDED IT, ISLAM PROUDLY SPOKE OF LITTLE AISHA FOR 1400 YEARS UNTIL SUDDENLY IT BECAME AN EMBARESSMENT WHEN THE WORLD STARTED REALIZING HE WAS A PEDOPHILE. NOW YOU WANT TO CHANGE HISTORY!
pretty girl:
“O ALL THOSE HADITHS OF MUHAMMED ARE ALL FILLED WITH LIES ABOUT THE AGE OF LITTLE AISHA, EH?
LOL!
PATHETIC, PATHETIC, PATHETIC.
YOUR “PROPHET” MARRIED A 6 YEAR OLD AND CONSUMMATED THAT MARRIAGE WHEN SHE WAS JUST 9. THE HISTORY BOOKS HAVE RECORDED IT,…”
*******************
The Hadith may be many things, but a history book is not one of them.
Mespo, I HEAR YOU LIKE BOYS.
pretty girl:
I do and girls. I suspect you like neither–if they have a registrable IQ.
Who wrote Islamic law? Mohammed himself or Qaazis later to control the society. Men and Women should be treated equal and a women should have power to make her own decision. It is wrong to mistreat women folks in Islamic countries in the name of Islam, things will change with time when Women can stand shoulder to shoulder with a man. Who are these illetrate mullahs to control the society? Don’t listen to them, make our own wise decision.