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Child Marriage in the Muslim World: Difference between revisions
Child Marriage in the Muslim World (view source)
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{{QualityScore|Lead=1|Structure=3|Content=4|Language=4|References=4}} | {{QualityScore|Lead=1|Structure=3|Content=4|Language=4|References=4}} | ||
The [[Islam|Islamic]] faith condones [[pedophilia]]. | The [[Islam|Islamic]] faith condones [[pedophilia]]. It comes as no surprise, then, that Islamic child [[marriage]]s are common practice around the globe today. | ||
==Introduction== | ==Introduction== | ||
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{{Quote||Yemen is full of child brides. Roughly half of Yemeni girls are married before 18, some as young as eight.<ref>Carla Power - [http://www.yementimes.com/DefaultDET.aspx?i=1207&p=report&a=1 Nujood Ali & Shada Nasser win “Women of the Year Fund 2008 Glamour Award”] - Glamour Magazine, November 13, 2008</ref>}} | {{Quote||Yemen is full of child brides. Roughly half of Yemeni girls are married before 18, some as young as eight.<ref>Carla Power - [http://www.yementimes.com/DefaultDET.aspx?i=1207&p=report&a=1 Nujood Ali & Shada Nasser win “Women of the Year Fund 2008 Glamour Award”] - Glamour Magazine, November 13, 2008</ref>}} | ||
== Justification by Muslims == | ==Justification by Muslims== | ||
===Permitted in the Qur'an=== | ===Permitted in the Qur'an=== | ||
{{main|Pedophilia in the Qur'an}} | {{main|Pedophilia in the Qur'an}} | ||
Muslims justify | Muslims justify child marriages using verses from the [[Quran|Qur'an]], that clearly advocate the practice. The Qur'an cannot be questioned by Muslims since it's not simply considered to be 'inspired'. but the very words of [[Allah]], uttered by his final messenger [[Muhammad]]. In Islam, moral relativism cannot be applied, as the Qur'an is Allah's eternal message to mankind and is as relevant today as it were when the [[revelations]] first escaped Muhammad lips. | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|65|4}}|And (as for) those of your women who have despaired of menstruation, if you have a doubt, their prescribed time shall be three months, '''and of those too who have not had their <i>courses</i>'''; and (as for) the pregnant women, their prescribed time is that they lay down their burden; and whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah He will make easy for him his affair.}} | {{Quote|{{Quran|65|4}}|And (as for) those of your women who have despaired of menstruation, if you have a doubt, their prescribed time shall be three months, '''and of those too who have not had their <i>courses</i>'''; and (as for) the pregnant women, their prescribed time is that they lay down their burden; and whoever is careful of (his duty to) Allah He will make easy for him his affair.}} | ||
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{{Quote|Mufti Fazlul Haque Amini|Banning child marriage will cause challenging the marriage of the holy prophet of Islam, who also married minor Ayesha, when she was just eight years old. The new law [seeking to ban child marriages] initiated by the current government [of Bangladesh] will put the moral character of the prophet into controversy and challenge. Islam permits child marriage and it will not be tolerated if any ruler will ever try to touch this issue in the name of giving more rights to women.<ref name="Weekly Blitz"></ref>}} | {{Quote|Mufti Fazlul Haque Amini|Banning child marriage will cause challenging the marriage of the holy prophet of Islam, who also married minor Ayesha, when she was just eight years old. The new law [seeking to ban child marriages] initiated by the current government [of Bangladesh] will put the moral character of the prophet into controversy and challenge. Islam permits child marriage and it will not be tolerated if any ruler will ever try to touch this issue in the name of giving more rights to women.<ref name="Weekly Blitz"></ref>}} | ||
=== Committed by Muhammad === | ===Committed by Muhammad=== | ||
:''Main Article: [[Muhammad and the Clinical Definition of Pedophilia]]'' | :''Main Article: [[Muhammad and the Clinical Definition of Pedophilia]]'' | ||
Another justification is that Muhammad, who is considered the [[Uswa Hasana]] (perfect example) by all Muslims, at the age of 54, also indulged in a pedophilic marriage with [[Aisha]], a 9 year old girl. | Another justification is that Muhammad, who is considered the [[Uswa Hasana]] (perfect example) by all Muslims, at the age of 53 or 54, also indulged in a pedophilic marriage with [[Aisha]], a 9 year old girl. | ||
{{Quote|{{Muslim|8|3311}}|A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) married her when she was seven years old, and he was taken to his house as a bride when she was nine, and her dolls were with her; and when he (the Holy Prophet) died she was eighteen years old.}} | {{Quote|{{Muslim|8|3311}}|A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) married her when she was seven years old, and he was taken to his house as a bride when she was nine, and her dolls were with her; and when he (the Holy Prophet) died she was eighteen years old.}} | ||
=== Committed by Muhammad's Companions === | ===Committed by Muhammad's Companions=== | ||
{{main|Muhammad's Companions and Pedophilia}} | {{main|Muhammad's Companions and Pedophilia}} | ||
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"'Umar asked 'Ali for the hand of his daughter, Umm Kulthum in marriage. 'Ali replied that '''she has not yet attained the age (of maturity)'''. 'Umar replied, 'By Allah, this is not true. You do not want her to marry me. If she is underage, send her to me'. Thus 'Ali gave his daughter Umm Kulthum a dress and asked her to go to 'Umar and tell him that her father wants to know what this dress is for. When she came to Umar and gave him the message, he grabbed her hand and forcibly pulled her towards him. 'Umm Kulthum asked him to leave her hand, which Umar did and said, 'You are a very mannered lady with great morals. Go and tell your father that you are very pretty and you are not what he said of you'. With that 'Ali married Umm Kulthum to 'Umar."}} | "'Umar asked 'Ali for the hand of his daughter, Umm Kulthum in marriage. 'Ali replied that '''she has not yet attained the age (of maturity)'''. 'Umar replied, 'By Allah, this is not true. You do not want her to marry me. If she is underage, send her to me'. Thus 'Ali gave his daughter Umm Kulthum a dress and asked her to go to 'Umar and tell him that her father wants to know what this dress is for. When she came to Umar and gave him the message, he grabbed her hand and forcibly pulled her towards him. 'Umm Kulthum asked him to leave her hand, which Umar did and said, 'You are a very mannered lady with great morals. Go and tell your father that you are very pretty and you are not what he said of you'. With that 'Ali married Umm Kulthum to 'Umar."}} | ||
== Example Cases Around the World == | ==Example Cases Around the World== | ||
===Australia=== | ===Australia=== | ||
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Another form of pedophilic marriage is linked to a tribal custom called ''Vani'', which is a common practice in the Punjab province of Pakistan and the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. This custom is tied to blood feuds among the differing tribes and clans where the young girls are forcibly married-off in order to resolve the feuds. The ''Vani'' could be avoided if the clan of the girl agrees to pay money in lieu, called ''Deet''. Otherwise the young bride will have to pay for the crime of her male relatives by spending the rest of her life with a rival tribesman.<ref>Barbara Plett - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4499028.stm Forced child marriage tests Pakistan law in Sultanwala] - BBC News, December 5, 2005</ref> In early January of 2010, ten people including a Muslim cleric and the father of the girls, were arrested for participating in "a jirga that declared two girls vani" in Pakistan. The girls (ages 9 and 3) were being used to resolve a marriage dispute.<ref>[http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=216747 Cleric among 10 held in vani case] - The News, January 4, 2010</ref> | Another form of pedophilic marriage is linked to a tribal custom called ''Vani'', which is a common practice in the Punjab province of Pakistan and the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. This custom is tied to blood feuds among the differing tribes and clans where the young girls are forcibly married-off in order to resolve the feuds. The ''Vani'' could be avoided if the clan of the girl agrees to pay money in lieu, called ''Deet''. Otherwise the young bride will have to pay for the crime of her male relatives by spending the rest of her life with a rival tribesman.<ref>Barbara Plett - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4499028.stm Forced child marriage tests Pakistan law in Sultanwala] - BBC News, December 5, 2005</ref> In early January of 2010, ten people including a Muslim cleric and the father of the girls, were arrested for participating in "a jirga that declared two girls vani" in Pakistan. The girls (ages 9 and 3) were being used to resolve a marriage dispute.<ref>[http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=216747 Cleric among 10 held in vani case] - The News, January 4, 2010</ref> | ||
Another rather similar concept is called ''Badal'', or revenge. This custom is strong in Pashtun society native to northern Pakistan and Afghanistan, and leads to a need for disputes to be settled quickly to avoid further bloodshed. Girls are treated as second-class citizens when they are sent to be a bride in a new family to mend ties.<ref name="Pakistan- Muslim Child Bride For Sale"/> | Another rather similar concept is called ''Badal'', or revenge. This custom is strong in Pashtun society native to northern Pakistan and Afghanistan, and leads to a need for disputes to be settled quickly to avoid further bloodshed. Girls are treated as second-class citizens when they are sent to be a bride in a new family to mend ties.<ref name="Pakistan- Muslim Child Bride For Sale" /> | ||
Finally, we have forced conversions of minors via marriage. This is when children from minority communities, such as the Hindus' and Christians, are kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off to one of the kidnappers. These types of marriages have seen a sharp rise in recent years, due to the general indifference among the police forces towards the plight of the non-Muslim, and laws which prevent the return of 'Muslim' children to their non-Muslim parents. As was the case for the Christian mother Sajida Masih,<ref>[http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/pakistan/4229/ Pakistani Muslim Forces 12-year-old Girl to Convert, Marry Him] - Compass Direct News, June 4, 2009</ref> who's 12 year-old daughter Huma was abducted at gunpoint by Muhammad Imran on the 23rd of February, 2009. When the terrified mother reported the crime to Sadar police station in Gujranwala, the police ridiculed her, and told her there was nothing they could do as she is now a Muslim. | Finally, we have forced conversions of minors via marriage. This is when children from minority communities, such as the Hindus' and Christians, are kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off to one of the kidnappers. These types of marriages have seen a sharp rise in recent years, due to the general indifference among the police forces towards the plight of the non-Muslim, and laws which prevent the return of 'Muslim' children to their non-Muslim parents. As was the case for the Christian mother Sajida Masih,<ref>[http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/pakistan/4229/ Pakistani Muslim Forces 12-year-old Girl to Convert, Marry Him] - Compass Direct News, June 4, 2009</ref> who's 12 year-old daughter Huma was abducted at gunpoint by Muhammad Imran on the 23rd of February, 2009. When the terrified mother reported the crime to Sadar police station in Gujranwala, the police ridiculed her, and told her there was nothing they could do as she is now a Muslim. | ||
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In September 2009, a 12-year-old Yemeni girl who was forced into marriage died during a painful childbirth which also killed her baby.<ref>Mohammed Jamjoom - [http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/14/yemen.childbirth.death/index.html Yemeni girl, 12, dies in painful childbirth] - CNN, September 14, 2009</ref> In 2008, 10-year-old Nujood Ali went to a courthouse by herself, after attempts to get help from relatives failed, and demanded a divorce, generating a landmark legal case. The judge granted the girl a permanent divorce from her 30-year-old husband who had raped and beaten Nujood on their wedding night. Her lawyer said that they were "lucky with this judge. Another judge might not have accepted her in court, and would have asked her father or brother to come instead." Had that happened, Nujood would probably still be married. However, based on the principles of [[Islamic law|Shariah law]], her husband was compensated, not prosecuted. Nujood was ordered to pay him more than $200 -- a huge amount in a country where the United Nations Development Programme says 15.7 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day. She also feels like an outcast among her relatives and friends.<ref>Paula Newton - [http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/09/04/yemen.divorce.ime/index.html?iref=newssearch Child bride's nightmare after divorce] - CNN, September 4, 2009</ref> Just weeks after Nujood's case, 9-year-old Arwa Abdu Muhammad Ali ran away from her 35-year-old husband to a local hospital and reported that she had been beaten and sexually abused for eight months. The judge who heard her case briefly jailed the local judge who had approved the marriage contract. Arwa's husband refused to show up to court.<ref>Robert F. Worth - [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/world/middleeast/29marriage.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 Tiny Voices Defy Child Marriage in Yemen] - The New York Times, June 29, 2008</ref> Also in 2008, Reem, a Yemeni girl married at 12, sought a divorce from her 30-year-old husband after he choked her, bit her, dragged her by the hair, and raped her when she resisted his demands for sex. He imprisoned her in his house for 11 days during which time she tried to kill herself with a kitchen knife before being rescued by her mother.<ref>Jenny Cuff - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7711554.stm Child marriage and divorce in Yemen] - BBC, November 6, 2008</ref> Her father had forced her into the marriage with her cousin, resorting to a gag and tying her up twice. He also threatened to kill the girl for defying him.<ref>[http://www.america.gov/st/hr-english/2009/March/20090306161153ajesrom0.9992792.html Child Bride Fights Against Forced Marriage] - America.gov, March 6, 2009</ref> | In September 2009, a 12-year-old Yemeni girl who was forced into marriage died during a painful childbirth which also killed her baby.<ref>Mohammed Jamjoom - [http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/14/yemen.childbirth.death/index.html Yemeni girl, 12, dies in painful childbirth] - CNN, September 14, 2009</ref> In 2008, 10-year-old Nujood Ali went to a courthouse by herself, after attempts to get help from relatives failed, and demanded a divorce, generating a landmark legal case. The judge granted the girl a permanent divorce from her 30-year-old husband who had raped and beaten Nujood on their wedding night. Her lawyer said that they were "lucky with this judge. Another judge might not have accepted her in court, and would have asked her father or brother to come instead." Had that happened, Nujood would probably still be married. However, based on the principles of [[Islamic law|Shariah law]], her husband was compensated, not prosecuted. Nujood was ordered to pay him more than $200 -- a huge amount in a country where the United Nations Development Programme says 15.7 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day. She also feels like an outcast among her relatives and friends.<ref>Paula Newton - [http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/09/04/yemen.divorce.ime/index.html?iref=newssearch Child bride's nightmare after divorce] - CNN, September 4, 2009</ref> Just weeks after Nujood's case, 9-year-old Arwa Abdu Muhammad Ali ran away from her 35-year-old husband to a local hospital and reported that she had been beaten and sexually abused for eight months. The judge who heard her case briefly jailed the local judge who had approved the marriage contract. Arwa's husband refused to show up to court.<ref>Robert F. Worth - [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/world/middleeast/29marriage.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 Tiny Voices Defy Child Marriage in Yemen] - The New York Times, June 29, 2008</ref> Also in 2008, Reem, a Yemeni girl married at 12, sought a divorce from her 30-year-old husband after he choked her, bit her, dragged her by the hair, and raped her when she resisted his demands for sex. He imprisoned her in his house for 11 days during which time she tried to kill herself with a kitchen knife before being rescued by her mother.<ref>Jenny Cuff - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7711554.stm Child marriage and divorce in Yemen] - BBC, November 6, 2008</ref> Her father had forced her into the marriage with her cousin, resorting to a gag and tying her up twice. He also threatened to kill the girl for defying him.<ref>[http://www.america.gov/st/hr-english/2009/March/20090306161153ajesrom0.9992792.html Child Bride Fights Against Forced Marriage] - America.gov, March 6, 2009</ref> | ||
== Conclusion == | ==Conclusion== | ||
In countries like Yemen, Bangladesh, Iran, and Northern Nigeria, attempts at reforming laws and banning child marriages have been opposed and stopped on the grounds that such a ban would be un-Islamic,<ref name="TONOV282008"></ref><ref name="TNTJuly212013">{{cite web |url= http://thenigeriatoday.net/i-could-marry-off-my-six-year-old-daughter-if-i-so-wished-senator-ahmed-yerima-replies-critics/|title= I Could Marry Off My Six Year Old Daughter If I So Wished, Senator Ahmed Yerima Replies Critics|publisher= The Nigeria Today|author= |date= July 21, 2013|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fthenigeriatoday.net%2Fi-could-marry-off-my-six-year-old-daughter-if-i-so-wished-senator-ahmed-yerima-replies-critics%2F&date=2013-07-22|deadurl=no}}</ref><ref name="Weekly Blitz"></ref><ref name="MESSAGE"></ref><ref name="IRIN"></ref> and in the case of Malaysia, the growing Muslim population has effectively turned back the clock on social progress by passing new laws which allow for the practice of pedophilic marriages specifically between followers of Islam.<ref name="World News Australia"></ref> | In countries like Yemen, Bangladesh, Iran, and Northern Nigeria, attempts at reforming laws and banning child marriages have been opposed and stopped on the grounds that such a ban would be un-Islamic,<ref name="TONOV282008"></ref><ref name="TNTJuly212013">{{cite web |url= http://thenigeriatoday.net/i-could-marry-off-my-six-year-old-daughter-if-i-so-wished-senator-ahmed-yerima-replies-critics/|title= I Could Marry Off My Six Year Old Daughter If I So Wished, Senator Ahmed Yerima Replies Critics|publisher= The Nigeria Today|author= |date= July 21, 2013|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fthenigeriatoday.net%2Fi-could-marry-off-my-six-year-old-daughter-if-i-so-wished-senator-ahmed-yerima-replies-critics%2F&date=2013-07-22|deadurl=no}}</ref><ref name="Weekly Blitz"></ref><ref name="MESSAGE"></ref><ref name="IRIN"></ref> and in the case of Malaysia, the growing Muslim population has effectively turned back the clock on social progress by passing new laws which allow for the practice of pedophilic marriages specifically between followers of Islam.<ref name="World News Australia"></ref> Whatever reasons and justification people may give for the prevalence of child marriages in Muslim-majority nations, without Islam this practice would likely have been discarded as immoral and unacceptable in the modern world. | ||
{{Core Pedophilia}} | {{Core Pedophilia}} | ||
== See Also == | ==See Also== | ||
*[[Pedophilia in the Qur'an]] | *[[Pedophilia in the Qur'an]] | ||
{{Hub4|Marriage|Marriage}} | {{Hub4|Marriage|Marriage}} | ||
== External Links == | ==External Links== | ||
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5541006 Photo op: Child brides in Afghanistan] ''- Images of pedophilic Islamic marriages'' | *[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5541006 Photo op: Child brides in Afghanistan] ''- Images of pedophilic Islamic marriages'' | ||
* [http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/341/facts.html Child Brides - Child Marriage: What We Know] ''- PBS, October 12, 2007'' | *[http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/341/facts.html Child Brides - Child Marriage: What We Know] ''- PBS, October 12, 2007'' | ||
* [http://www.worldvision.org/resources.nsf/main/early-marriage.pdf/$file/early-marriage.pdf Before She's Ready: 15 Places Girls Marry by 15] ''- World Vision, 2008'' | *[http://www.worldvision.org/resources.nsf/main/early-marriage.pdf/$file/early-marriage.pdf Before She's Ready: 15 Places Girls Marry by 15] ''- World Vision, 2008'' | ||
* [http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/childbrides.htm Muhammad, Aisha, Islam, and Child Brides] ''- Silas, Answering-Islam'' | *[http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/childbrides.htm Muhammad, Aisha, Islam, and Child Brides] ''- Silas, Answering-Islam'' | ||
* [http://www.icrw.org/docs/facts/childmarriagefactsheet051204.pdf Child Marriage Fact Sheet] ''- International Center for Research on Women'' | *[http://www.icrw.org/docs/facts/childmarriagefactsheet051204.pdf Child Marriage Fact Sheet] ''- International Center for Research on Women'' | ||
== References == | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist|2|refs=}} | {{Reflist|2|refs=}} | ||
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<!-- [{{Reference archive|1=http://tribune.com.pk/story/348691/forced-marriage-step-father-elderly-husband-arrested/|2=2012-03-13}} Forced marriage: Step-father, elderly ‘husband’ arrested] --> | <!-- [{{Reference archive|1=http://tribune.com.pk/story/348691/forced-marriage-step-father-elderly-husband-arrested/|2=2012-03-13}} Forced marriage: Step-father, elderly ‘husband’ arrested] --> | ||
<!-- [{{Reference archive|1=http://tribune.com.pk/story/367555/underage-marriage-police-foil-party-for-5-year-old-brides-parents/|2=2012-04-24}} Underage marriage: Police foil party for 5-year-old bride’s parents] --> | <!-- [{{Reference archive|1=http://tribune.com.pk/story/367555/underage-marriage-police-foil-party-for-5-year-old-brides-parents/|2=2012-04-24}} Underage marriage: Police foil party for 5-year-old bride’s parents] --> | ||
<!-- [{{Reference archive|1=http://tribune.com.pk/story/433655/swara-case-police-directed-to-take-action-against-jirga-members/|2=2012-09-13}} Swara case: Police directed to take action against jirga members] --> | <!-- [{{Reference archive|1=http://tribune.com.pk/story/433655/swara-case-police-directed-to-take-action-against-jirga-members/|2=2012-09-13}} Swara case: Police directed to take action against jirga members] --><!-- [{{Reference archive|1=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2200980/Imam-Mohamed-Kassamali-steps-caught-agreeing-marry-girl-12.html|2=2012-09-11}} Muslim mosque leader at centre of British child bride scandal steps down after 'being caught agreeing to marry girl of 12'] --> | ||
<!-- [{{Reference archive|1=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2200980/Imam-Mohamed-Kassamali-steps-caught-agreeing-marry-girl-12.html|2=2012-09-11}} Muslim mosque leader at centre of British child bride scandal steps down after 'being caught agreeing to marry girl of 12'] --> | |||