12-Year-Old Saudi Girl In Divorce Battle With 80-Year-Old Husband

[dalsingh101]

I'm wondering what the motivation for the Times to highlight this story is? Is it another attempt to paint Arabs in a bad light?

The piece at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7019754.ece comes with the obligatory pic of a sulli in a ninja mask.

12-year-old Saudi girl in divorce battle with 80-year-old husband

A 12-year-old girl fighting to divorce her 80-year-old husband in Saudi Arabia is to receive legal assistance from the Government in what could become a test case for banning child marriage in the kingdom.

The state-run Human Rights Commission has hired a lawyer to represent the girl when she takes her case to court in Buraidah, a conservative town near the capital Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia has no minimum legal age for marriage and it is common in poorer, tribal areas for girls to be married off. However, it is rare for a child bride to challenge the match.

A draft law prohibiting child marriage is under discussion and activists hope that the case will be a watershed in the campaign to ban the practice.

The girl was married to her father’s cousin last year against her wishes and those of her mother. It was reported locally that the marriage was sealed with a dowry of 85,000 riyals (£14,500) and consummated.

The girl’s mother filed for divorce but withdrew her case without explanation this month.

This is the first time that the Human Rights Commission has intervened publicly in such a case.

Alanoud al-Hejailan, a lawyer for the commission, said: “Our main concern is to safeguard the child’s rights ... it is in the hands of the court but the commission is firmly on the child’s side.”

The court is expected to rule in the case within days. The commission has indicated that it will pursue the matter through the appeals court if a divorce is not granted.

The draft law is expected to establish a minimum age for marriage of between 16 and 18. As a short-term measure activists are pressing for the Government to ban notaries from sealing marriages of girls under 18.

The case has sparked debate in Saudi Arabia. Some judges and clerics have used the Prophet Muhammad’s marriage to a nine-year-old girl as justification of child marriage.

However, in January Sheikh Abdullah al-Manie, a senior Saudi cleric, spoke out in defence of the girl, declaring that the Prophet’s marriage 14 centuries ago could not be used to justify child marriages today.

Young wives

— In April 2009 a Saudi judge refused to annul a marriage between a girl, 8, and a man in his late forties, saying that she could not seek divorce until she reached puberty

— Anecdotal evidence suggests that Saudi Arabi’a child marriage rate is high, accompanied by a divorce rate of about 60 per cent

— Child marriage in Yemen became a cause célèbre in 2008 when Nujood Ali, 10, sought divorce from an abusive husband more than three times her age

— Marriage of young girls is most common in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. In Niger 77 per cent of 20 to 24-year-old women were married before 18 and in Bangladesh the figure stands at 65 per cent

Sources: Unicef, Times archive

Edited February 9, 2010 by dalsingh101

[HSD1]

It's quite a common site in many 'backward' islamic countries (like afghanistan) to see leathery faced 20-ish year old women. They were married at a young age (pre-14) and ended up enduring their husband's infamous islamic sexual restraint. As a result many suffer from health problems related to early sexual activity such as cervical cancer and infertility. No wonder they have to wear burkahs most of the time.

[dalsingh101]

Come on HSD.

It's not like plenty of 14 English girls don't have sex with their 15 year old boyfriends in the UK.

This case is interesting though.

[HSD1]

But most of them have reached puberty and are just as bad as the boys when it comes to wanting it. That's a lot different to having an older man have the right to do what he likes to her for the rest of her life or until he's bored and wants another one. It's nothing but religously sanctioned paedophilia.

[dalsingh101]

Interesting point.

You know on a related note and at the risk of sounding effed up, I couldn't give a monkeys about what goes on Afghanistan between the natives.

I'm not interested in trying to civilise them. Nonce cases.

They are only an issue when they bother our people.

Any Sikhs left in that country needs to get out now. I heard it was our lot that sold them all the burqas anyway, which is quite ironic really. Sikhs were quite affluent there.

Edited February 9, 2010 by dalsingh101

[Ghostface Killah]

Was 80 yr olds marrying children and having sex with them a common practise at the time of Muhammed?

[tonyhp32]

When the man Muslims claim to be a prophet married a child of 6 at the age of 51 then how can anyone stop these same things happening amongst his followers? Mohammed's actions are held up to be an example for all Muslims to follow. On another thread the Naumuslim Bahadur attempted to show that Aisha was much older but the truth is that Bukhari hadiths show she was 6 years old at the time of marriage and 9 at consumation.

Sahih Muslim Book 008, Number 3310:

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) married me when I was six years old, and I was admitted to his house when I was nine years old.

Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 64

Narrated 'Aisha:

that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years (i.e., till his death).

Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 65

Narrated 'Aisha:

that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old. Hisham said: I have been informed that 'Aisha remained with the Prophet for nine years (i.e. till his death)." what you know of the Quran (by heart)'

Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 88

Narrated 'Ursa:

The Prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with 'Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death).

Edited February 10, 2010 by tonyhp32

[HSD1]

Did aysha have any children? Did she leave any account of her life? Something worth looking into.

Edited February 10, 2010 by HSD

[tonyhp32]

Aisha did not have any children possibly due to her being married so young. Also she was instrumental along with Ali in the Shia-Sunni split. That's why Shias don't think much of her although Sunnis refer to her the mother of the believers.

Interestingly enough, I have read a hadith or account somewhere where she saw that allah's revelations to Mohammed were coming conveniently whenever he was in a sticky situation. She said 'your lord hastens to meet your needs' or something like that. So she may have been more intelligent than people give her credit for.

[Dharma]

Interesting point.

You know on a related note and at the risk of sounding effed up, I couldn't give a monkeys about what goes on Afghanistan between the natives.

I'm not interested in trying to civilise them. Nonce cases.

They are only an issue when they bother our people.

Any Sikhs left in that country needs to get out now. I heard it was our lot that sold them all the burqas anyway, which is quite ironic really. Sikhs were quite affluent there.

It's not effed up really. Muslims don't care about anyone else, even if they are shown sympathy. Sikhs should leave there. This is history repeating itself. Persia, Afghanistan, Pakistan - all have the same story. Wherever orthodox Islam becomes widespread the infidels end up being subjugated or fleeing. Muslims will deny that the Quran directs this behaviour by generating confusion around its verses, but Islam has an imperialist vision which works by spreading ideology and it is chauvinistic and bigoted because it declares infidels to be followers of false religions which makes them enemies of Allah, so naturally it is conducive to persecution.

Edited February 13, 2010 by Dharma

[Dharma]

delete - mistake

Edited February 13, 2010 by Dharma