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The [[Islam|Islamic]] faith condones [[pedophilia]]. Therefore, contemporary pedophilic Islamic [[marriage]]s are common practice around the globe.
{{QualityScore|Lead=3|Structure=3|Content=4|Language=4|References=4}}
==Introduction==


In many Islamic countries, child marriages are common practice. Girls far below the age of puberty are forcibly married to older persons (sometimes in their 50s and later) for various personal gains by the girls' guardian. Pedophilic Islamic marriages are most prevalent in [[Pakistan]] and [[Afghanistan]], followed by other countries in the [[Middle East]] and [[Bangladesh]].<ref>[http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=1631 America Magazine: Child Marriage in Afghanistan and Pakistan, by Andrew Bushell; March 11, 2002]</ref><ref>[http://www.americansforunfpa.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=630 Americans For UNFPA: Virtual Slavery: The Practice of “Compensation Marriages” by Net Community of AfUNFPA; last retrieved Monday, 08 December 2008]</ref> This practice may also be prevalent to a lesser extent amongst other [[Ummah|Muslim communities]], and is worryingly on the rise among the growing Muslim populations in many Western countries, such as the [[United Kingdom]]<ref name="Ten-fold rise in forced marriages in just four years"></ref> and the [[United States]].
In many Islamic countries and around the world, child marriages are common practice. Girls below the age of 18, and often far below the age of puberty are forcibly [[Marriage|married]] to older persons (sometimes in their 50s and later), often for various personal gains by the girls' guardian or with the intention to preserve family [[Honor violence|honor]] by helping her avoid pre-marital [[sex]].
 
[[Child Marriage in Islamic Law|Islamic law permits child marriage]]. Jurists agreed that a father may compel his pre-pubescent virgin daughter to enter into a marriage contract. The family was to hand her over for consummation when they judged her physically able to withstand intercourse without physical harm rather than being linked to a particular age. See the article [[Forced Marriage]] for more detail and for sources of help for those at risk.<ref>For example [https://www.mwnuk.co.uk/Forced_Marriage_7_factsheets.php Muslim Women's Network UK] and [https://preventforcedmarriage.org/forced-marriage-overseas-pakistan/ Tahirih Justice Center Forced Marriage Initiative]</ref>
 
The prevalence of child marriage involving under 18s is decreasing globally, but is still widespread according to Unicef, affecting millions of girls annually, as well as boys to a much lesser extent.<ref>[https://www.unicef.org/protection/child-marriage Child marriage] - Unicef.org (accessed November 2022)</ref> According to Unicef, "Many factors interact to place a child at risk of marriage, including poverty, the perception that marriage will provide ‘protection’, family honor, social norms, customary or religious laws that condone the practice, an inadequate legislative framework and the state of a country’s civil registration system." Data available on their website indicates that marriage of girls under 18 and under 15 is common in many predominantly Muslim countries, and similarly in many predominantly Christian countries in Africa, in India (among Hindus as well as Muslims) and to a lesser extent in Latin America and the Caribbean.<ref>[https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/child-marriage/ Child marriage data] - Unicef.org (accessed November 2022)</ref>
 
The practice also exists on a much smaller scale among Muslim populations in some non-Muslim countries such as the United Kingdom, where hundreds of girls under the age of 18 are taken overseas to be forcibly married each year (as well as young adults; the Hanafi and Hanbali schools of Islamic law require consent before post-pubescent virgins are given in marriage, though such rules are often flouted).<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/forced-marriage-unit-statistics https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/forced-marriage-unit-statistics] - UK government Forced Marriage Unit</ref>
 
Today, [[w:Marriageable_age|many modern Muslim countries]] have legislated to raise the minimum age of marriage, commonly to the age of 16 or 18 for girls (though often with loopholes or with ineffective enforcement) and to prevent forced marriage. This has often happened in the face of [[Child_Marriage_in_the_Muslim_World#Conclusion|opposition from traditional Islamic scholars]]. Many Muslim campaign groups and charities have been involved in this progress and continue to offer help to those at risk. In 2019 in collaboration with activists, the deputy Grand Imam of al-Azhar University in Cairo issued a fatwa calling for marriage based on mutual consent with a minimum age set as 18.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jun/21/senior-islamic-cleric-issues-fatwa-against-child-marriage Senior Islamic cleric issues fatwa against child marriage] - Guardian.com</ref>


==Statistics==
==Statistics==
'''PLEASE NOTE: The information below dates to the first decade of the 21st century. For more up to date information on the prevalence of child marriage compiled by Unicef, see [https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/child-marriage/ here]. A number of countries have since taken steps to raise the minimum age of marriage. For information on this see the table on the Wikipedia page [[w:Marriageable_age|Marriageable Age]].'''


'''Afghanistan'''
'''Afghanistan'''
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'''Azerbaijan'''
'''Azerbaijan'''


93% of [[Azerbaijan]]'s population identify as Muslim.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/aj.html Middle East :: Azerbaijan] - The World Factbook, August 19, 2010</ref>
93% of Azerbaijan's population identify as Muslim.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/aj.html Middle East :: Azerbaijan] - The World Factbook, August 19, 2010</ref>


{{Quote||Officials in Azerbaijan are so concerned by the number of women getting married under-age that parliament is discussing raising the minimum age for marriage to 18.
{{Quote||Officials in Azerbaijan are so concerned by the number of women getting married under-age that parliament is discussing raising the minimum age for marriage to 18.
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'''Canada'''
'''Canada'''


According to an article in the ''Toronto Sun'', Muslim child brides in [[Canada]] are on the rise:
According to an article in the ''Toronto Sun'', Muslim child brides in Canada are on the rise:


{{Quote|2=Federal immigration officials say there’s little they can do to stop “child brides” from being sponsored into Canada by much older husbands who wed them in arranged marriages abroad.
{{Quote|2=Federal immigration officials say there’s little they can do to stop “child brides” from being sponsored into Canada by much older husbands who wed them in arranged marriages abroad.
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'''Nigeria'''
'''Nigeria'''


{{Quote||One Islamic land where child marriage is common -- in fact, more common than anywhere else in the world -- is northern Nigeria, where Sharia is in force. The Nigerian government has tried to act against the practice, passing a law in 2003, the Child Rights Act, that set the minimum age for marriage at eighteen. Islamic clerics have been the fiercest opponents of this law.<BR>. . .<BR>
{{Quote||Northern Nigeria has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world: nearly half of all girls here are married by the age of 15.


Nigeria is made up of 36 states, of which 18 have passed the Child Rights Act; however, '''only one majority-Muslim Nigerian state has passed the law, and that with a change that set "puberty," rather than the age of eighteen, as the minimum requirement for lawful marriage. The result? As many as 800,000 Nigerian women are afflicted with fistula, a disease resulting from early intercourse and pregnancy'''.<ref name="AINA">[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.aina.org/news/20090918145141.htm|2=2011-10-25}} Child Marriage in the Islamic World] - AINA, September 18, 2009</ref>}}
The consequences have been devastating. Nigeria has the highest maternal mortality rate in Africa and one of the world’s highest rates of fistula, a condition that can occur when the pressure of childbirth tears a hole between the vagina and the bladder or rectum. Many women are left incontinent for life. Up to 800,000 women suffer from fistula in Nigeria.<BR>. . .<BR>
Dr Waaldijk operates on up to 600 women a year, with no electricity or running water... Some have been divorced by their husbands - it is estimated that up to half of adolescent girls in northern Nigeria are divorced... The Nigerian federal Government has attempted to outlaw child marriage. In 2003 it passed the Child Rights Act, prohibiting marriage under the age of 18. In the Muslim northern states, though, there has been fierce resistance to the Act, with many people portraying it as antiIslamic.<BR>. . .<BR>
Half of Nigeria’s 36 states have passed the Act, but it has been adopted by only one of the dozen Muslim states - and even that one made a crucial amendment substituting the age of 18 for the term “puberty”.
 
Each state in Nigeria has the constitutional right to amend legislation to comply with its local traditions and religion, meaning that central government is powerless to impose a minimum age of marriage.<ref name="TONOV282008"></ref>}}


'''Palestinian Authority area'''
'''Palestinian Authority area'''
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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 ==
==Traditional Islamic Justification==


===Permitted in the Qur'an===
===Permitted in the Qur'an===
{{main|Pedophilia in the Qur'an}}
{{main|Child Marriage in Islamic Law|Child Marriage in the Qur'an}}


Muslims justify pedophilic marriages with tender aged girls using verses from the [[Quran|Qur'an]], that clearly advocates this abominable 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.
Traditional Quran commentators and jurists have been essentially unanimous that child marriages are permitted in the [[Quran|Qur'an]].


{{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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The term "courses" mentioned above (indicated in '''<i>bold italic</i>''' text) is most accurately translated as "menstruation", which is the exact meaning of the Arabic word used in that context (i.e. 'Yaĥiđna يَحِضْنَ).  
The term "courses" mentioned above (indicated in '''<i>bold italic</i>''' text) is most accurately translated as "menstruation", which is the exact meaning of the Arabic word used in that context (i.e. 'Yaĥiđna يَحِضْنَ).  


===Permitted by Muslim Scholars and Leaders===
===Permitted by Muslim Scholars===
{{main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Pedophilia}}
{{main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Child Marriage}}


{{Quote|Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh|It is incorrect to say that it's not permitted to marry off girls who are 15 and younger. A girl aged 10 or 12 can be married. Those who think she's too young are wrong and they are being unfair to her. <br><br>We hear a lot in the media about the marriage of underage girls. We should know that Shariah law has not brought injustice to women.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/17/saudi.child.marriage/index.html?iref=newssearch Top Saudi cleric: OK for young girls to wed] - CNN, January 17, 2009</ref>}}
{{Quote|Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh|It is incorrect to say that it's not permitted to marry off girls who are 15 and younger. A girl aged 10 or 12 can be married. Those who think she's too young are wrong and they are being unfair to her. <br><br>We hear a lot in the media about the marriage of underage girls. We should know that Shariah law has not brought injustice to women.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/17/saudi.child.marriage/index.html?iref=newssearch Top Saudi cleric: OK for young girls to wed] - CNN, January 17, 2009</ref>}}
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{{Quote|Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh|Our mothers and before them our grandmothers married when they were barely 12. Good upbringing makes a girl ready to perform all marital duties at that age.<ref>Carlyle Murphy - [http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/saudi-arabia/090416/child-marriage-case-showcases-deep-splits-saudi-society Child marriage case showcases deep splits in Saudi society] - GlobalPost, April 16, 2009</ref>}}
{{Quote|Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh|Our mothers and before them our grandmothers married when they were barely 12. Good upbringing makes a girl ready to perform all marital duties at that age.<ref>Carlyle Murphy - [http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/saudi-arabia/090416/child-marriage-case-showcases-deep-splits-saudi-society Child marriage case showcases deep splits in Saudi society] - GlobalPost, April 16, 2009</ref>}}


{{Quote|Skeikh Mohamed Ibn Abderrahmane Al-Maghraoui |A nine-year-old girl has the same sexual capacities like a woman of twenty and over.<ref>[http://www.ansamed.info/en/news/[email protected] ANSA''med''] - September 8, 2008</ref>}}
{{Quote|Skeikh Mohamed Ibn Abderrahmane Al-Maghraoui |A nine-year-old girl has the same sexual capacities like a woman of twenty and over.<ref>[http://www.ansamed.info/en/news/[email protected] Fatwa in favour of 9-year-old girl marriage, Polemics] - ANSA''med'', September 8, 2008</ref>}}


{{Quote|1=[http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/Fatwa/ShowFatwa.php?Option=FatwaId&lang=E&Id=88089 Child marriage in Islam]<BR>Islamweb, Fatwa No. 88089, June 24, 2004|2=Getting married at an early age is something that is confirmed by the book of Allah, the Sunnah of his Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam), the consensus of the scholars and the actions of the companions, and the Muslims who came after them...  
{{Quote|1=[http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/Fatwa/ShowFatwa.php?Option=FatwaId&lang=E&Id=88089 Child marriage in Islam]<BR>Islamweb, Fatwa No. 88089, June 24, 2004|2=Getting married at an early age is something that is confirmed by the book of Allah, the Sunnah of his Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam), the consensus of the scholars and the actions of the companions, and the Muslims who came after them...  
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{{Quote||The Saudi religious establishment is generally supportive of child bride marriages. Some clerics who addressed this issue cited the example of the Prophet's marriage to 'Aisha. For example, Jeddah marriage and divorce official Ahmad Al-Ma'abi said on a June 2008 program on Lebanon's LBC TV that a girl may marry and have sexual intercourse from the age of nine, arguing that the Prophet Muhammad had married 'Aisha when she was six and had consummated the marriage when she was nine. Al-Ma'abi added that, in Yemen, girls often married at the age of nine or 10. He concluded that as long as the father of the bride consents to the marriage and is present at the ceremony, as required by religious law, "the marriage is obviously legal."<ref>Y. Admon - [http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3216.htm Rising Criticism of Child Bride Marriages in Saudi Arabia] - MEMRI: Inquiry and Analysis No. 502</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36ZNtuU1siM Saudi cleric condones child rape!] - YouTube</ref>}}
{{Quote||The Saudi religious establishment is generally supportive of child bride marriages. Some clerics who addressed this issue cited the example of the Prophet's marriage to 'Aisha. For example, Jeddah marriage and divorce official Ahmad Al-Ma'abi said on a June 2008 program on Lebanon's LBC TV that a girl may marry and have sexual intercourse from the age of nine, arguing that the Prophet Muhammad had married 'Aisha when she was six and had consummated the marriage when she was nine. Al-Ma'abi added that, in Yemen, girls often married at the age of nine or 10. He concluded that as long as the father of the bride consents to the marriage and is present at the ceremony, as required by religious law, "the marriage is obviously legal."<ref>Y. Admon - [http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3216.htm Rising Criticism of Child Bride Marriages in Saudi Arabia] - MEMRI: Inquiry and Analysis No. 502</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36ZNtuU1siM Saudi cleric condones child rape!] - YouTube</ref>}}


{{Quote|Dr. Ahmad al-Mu’bi, Saudi marriage officiant|You can have a marriage contract even with a 1-year-old girl, not to mention a girl of 9, 7 or 8.  But is the girl ready for sex or not?  What is the appropriate age for sex for the first time? This varies according to environment and tradition.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,371581,00.html?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a16:g12:r3:c0.243972:b25445430:z10 Saudi Marriage Official Says 1-Year-Old Brides OK] - Fox News, June 2, 2008</ref><ref>[http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1798.htm LBC TV (Lebanon) - June 19, 2008 - 03:08] - MEMRI TV, Video Clip No. 1798</ref>}}
{{Quote|Dr. Ahmad al-Mu’bi, Saudi marriage officiant|You can have a marriage contract even with a 1-year-old girl, not to mention a girl of 9, 7 or 8.  But is the girl ready for sex or not?  What is the appropriate age for sex for the first time? This varies according to environment and tradition.<ref>[http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1798.htm LBC TV (Lebanon) - June 19, 2008 - 03:08] - MEMRI TV, Video Clip No. 1798</ref>}}


{{Quote|Sheikh Mohamed Ben Abderrahman Al-Maghraoui|The marriage of nine-year-old girls is not forbidden because according to the Hadith (the Prophet Mohammed's sayings), Mohammed married Aisha when she was only seven-years-old and he consummated his union when she was nine.<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=27880|2=2011-10-25}} Moroccan theologian: Muslim girls can wed at nine] - Middle East Online, September 15, 2008</ref>}}
{{Quote|Sheikh Mohamed Ben Abderrahman Al-Maghraoui|The marriage of nine-year-old girls is not forbidden because according to the Hadith (the Prophet Mohammed's sayings), Mohammed married Aisha when she was only seven-years-old and he consummated his union when she was nine.<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=27880|2=2011-10-25}} Moroccan theologian: Muslim girls can wed at nine] - Middle East Online, September 15, 2008</ref>}}
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{{Quote|1=[http://web.archive.org/web/20080127161338/http://islam.tc/ask-imam/view.php?q=6737 I would like to marry a woman who is 12 years old, her father and she has also agreed. What is your advise?]<BR>Islamic Q & A Online with Mufti Ebrahim Desai, Ask-Imam, Question No. 6737|2=According to the Shari'ah, if a girl is a minor (did not attain puberty), she may be given in marriage by her father. When she attains puberty, she has the right to maintain the marriage or discontinue the marriage. There is no age limit to be intimate with one's wife even if she is a minor.}}  
{{Quote|1=[http://web.archive.org/web/20080127161338/http://islam.tc/ask-imam/view.php?q=6737 I would like to marry a woman who is 12 years old, her father and she has also agreed. What is your advise?]<BR>Islamic Q & A Online with Mufti Ebrahim Desai, Ask-Imam, Question No. 6737|2=According to the Shari'ah, if a girl is a minor (did not attain puberty), she may be given in marriage by her father. When she attains puberty, she has the right to maintain the marriage or discontinue the marriage. There is no age limit to be intimate with one's wife even if she is a minor.}}  


{{Quote|1=Imam Sani, a Nigerian cleric|2=Child marriage in Islam is permissible. In the Koran there is no specific age of marriage...[If the government imposed new laws against child marriage] There will be violent conflict from the Muslims, saying that 'no, we will not accept this, we'd rather die than accept something which is not a law from Allah.'<ref name="AINA"></ref><ref>Robert Spencer - [http://97.74.65.51/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=36336 Child Marriage in the Islamic World] - FrontPage Magazine, September 18, 2009</ref>}}
{{Quote|1=Ahmed Sani Yerima, former governor and current senator of Zamfara State, Nigeria|2=Child marriage in Islam is permissible. In the Koran there is no specific age of marriage...[If the government imposed new laws against child marriage] There will be violent conflict from the Muslims, saying that 'no, we will not accept this, we'd rather die than accept something which is not a law from Allah.'<ref name="TONOV282008">{{cite web|url= http://www.wunrn.com/news/2008/11_08/11_24_08/112408_nigeria.htm|title= Nigeria Child Brides-Broken Lives |publisher= Times Online|author= |date= November 28, 2008|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wunrn.com%2Fnews%2F2008%2F11_08%2F11_24_08%2F112408_nigeria.htm&date=2013-06-15|deadurl=no}}</ref>}}
 
{{Quote|Ahmed Sani Yerima, former governor and current senator of Zamfara State, Nigeria<ref name="TNTJuly212013"></ref>|Nigeria has many uncountable problems and none of them is early marriage. As a matter of fact early marriage (is) the solution to about half of our problems. For those who wonder if I can give my daughter(s) out in marriage at the age of 9 or 13, I tell you most honestly, I can give her out at the age of 6 if I want to and it’s not your business. This is because I am a Muslim and I follow the example of the best of mankind, Muhammad ﺻَﻠَّﻰ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪُ ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻪِ ﻭَﺳَﻠَّﻢَ... }}


{{Quote|1=[http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/1493/pedophile Ruling on marrying young women]<BR>Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, Islam Q&A, Fatwa No. 1493|2=...it is permitted to contract marriage with a young girl and to hand her over to her husband to stay with him before she reaches adolescence.}}
{{Quote|1=[http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/1493/pedophile Ruling on marrying young women]<BR>Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, Islam Q&A, Fatwa No. 1493|2=...it is permitted to contract marriage with a young girl and to hand her over to her husband to stay with him before she reaches adolescence.}}
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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: [[Aisha Age of Consummation|Aisha's Age of Consummation]]''
 
:''Main Article: [[Aisha Age of Consummation|Muhammad's marriage to Aisha]]''


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 used by scholars is that Muhammad, who is considered the [[Uswa Hasana]] (perfect example) by all Muslims, then in his early 50s, married [[Aisha]], when she was a 6 year old girl and consummated the marriage when she was 9.  


{{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|Child Marriage and Muhammad's Companions}}


Umar ibn al-Khattab, the 2<sup>rd</sup> [[Caliph]] of Islam, at the age of 55 married Umm Kulthum bint Ali when she was between 10 and 12 years old. Some sources even say that she was five years old when Umar married her.
Umar ibn al-Khattab, the 2<sup>rd</sup> [[Caliph]] of Islam, at the age of 55 married Umm Kulthum bint Ali when she was between 10 and 12 years old. Some sources even say that she was five years old when Umar married her.
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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."}}


== Recent 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="AINA"></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> So one has to agree that whatever reasons and justification people may give for the prevalence of child marriages in the East, without Islam this hideous practice would have long been discarded as immoral and unacceptable in the modern world.


{{Core Pedophilia}}
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.
== See Also ==


*[[Pedophilia in the Qur'an]]
==See Also==
*[[Marriage]] ''- A hub page that leads to other articles related to 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=}}


[[Category:Pedophilia]]
[[Category:Shariah (Islamic Law)]]
[[Category:Islamic Law]]
[[Category:Women]]
[[Category:Islam and Women]]
[[Category:Child Marriage]]
 
[[Category:Marriage]]
[[Category:Sex]]
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[[Category:Health]]
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[[Category:Human rights]]
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