Muslim Cleric: Nine Year Old Girls Are “Physically and Spiritually” Ready For Marriage

The marriage of underaged girls remains a common abuse in Muslim countries. We have continued to follow the plight of girls and women in Islamic countries who face honor killings and child marriages. Some Islamic clerics have maintained that there can be no age limitation on child brides. They often note that Muhammad married Aisha when she was seven and consummated the marriage at nine years old. Indeed, some clerics have endorsed the notion of girls as “religious offerings” and rejected any age limitation The latest outrage over child brides has come with the “wisdom” of Malaysian MP Shabudin Yahaya who insisted that marrying off nine-year-old girls is perfectly acceptable and moral under Islamic law.

Shabudin declared “They reach puberty at the age of nine or 12. And at that time, their body is already akin to them being 18 years old. So physically and spiritually, it is not a barrier for the girl to marry.” Well no barrier beyond criminal pedophilia and child rape.  Otherwise it is perfectly fine.

Speaking of rape, Shabudin also explained that under Islam there is “nothing wrong” with a rape victim marrying the man who raped her since she would otherwise face a “bleak future.”  Indeed, Shabudin explained that marriages between rapists and their victims is a win-win situation: “Perhaps through marriage they can lead a healthier, better life. And the person who was raped does not necessarily have a bleak future. She will have a husband, at least, and this could serve as a remedy to growing social problems.”

He later objected that these statements were taken out of context.