Of course, any attempts to do away with the custom of child marriage will encounter resistance based on the example of Muhammad, who married 9-year-old Aisha (Sahih Bukhari 5.58.234). And any attempts to do away with domestic violence will encounter resistance based on the Qur'an's sanction of wife-beating (4:34).
From the United Nations' Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN):
KANDAHAR, 16 October 2007 (IRIN) - Fifteen-year-old Razia (not her real name) has been imprisoned in Kandahar Province, southern Afghanistan, for escaping from her husband's house and eloping with another man.
She was only 12 when her father married her to an elderly man for a significant dowry payment. "He [her husband] was very brutal and was treating me violently," Razia said. "No one was helping me escape my husband's cruelty," the distraught teenager said, adding that her only resort was to elope with a young man whom she thought would give her a new life.
Months later Razia registered for divorce from her elderly husband. "As I filed for divorce the police arrested me and put me in prison," she told IRIN.
Not only is elopement unlawful for a married woman in Afghanistan, it is also taboo.
It is unclear how long Razia will remain in prison. She could be sentenced to death or get 10-15 years. Sexual relations outside marriage are considered a serious offence in Afghan civil law, which is derived from Islamic Sharia law.
Afghanistan recently ended a three-year moratorium on the death penalty.
If sexual relations outside marriage are not proved, she could still face an unspecified sentence for running away from her home with a stranger (`na-muhram’), said Kandahar judge Haji Karim.
[...]
Sidestepping Islamic aspect of the issue:
According to the AIHRC, conservative traditions, widespread illiteracy among parents (up to 70 percent of Afghanistan’s 24.5 million people are reportedly illiterate) and nationwide poverty are some of the factors driving families to wed their underage daughters.
Up to 70 percent of registered cases of violence against women have their origins in early marriages, Hashimi said.
"Young children and teenagers often do not fully realise the complexities of marriage and mostly fail to comply with their wedding vows, and this can lead to both physical and mental violence," said Fawzia Amini, director of the legal affairs department at Afghanistan's Ministry of Women's Affairs.
Then, what about Razia's much-older husband: Is he immature, failing to "realize the complexities of marriage?" Does Amini believe he ultimately has the right to beat her for alleged disobedience?
Child marriage is also considered to be contributing to the country's high maternal and child mortality rates, health experts say.
Widespread illiteracy, poverty and conservative traditions are some of the major factors, which contribute to underage marriages in Afghanistan, experts say.
Suraya Subhrang, a women's rights expert working for the AIHRC, says child marriage is a complex social phenomenon which can only be tackled by the long-term educational, economic and cultural development of the whole Afghan nation.
"We need strong institutions to ensure the rule of law in society and reliable access to justice for all, regardless of gender," Subhrang told IRIN.
And as long as Sharia is enshrined in the constitution of Afghanistan, that will be incredibly difficult, if not impossible.
It is obviously the child-bride's fault...no?
"Suraya Subhrang, a women's rights expert working for the AIHRC, says child marriage is a complex social phenomenon which can only be tackled by the long-term educational, economic and cultural development of the whole Afghan nation."
WHenever someone says that a certain practice is a "complex social phenomenon" that can only be eradicated gradually, and particularly if the term "economic" is thrown in, that indicates to me that this person is unwilling to take any responsibility for it.
"Child marriage, female genital mutilation, honor killings, stoning people to death...yes, we don't like these things, but you know, getting rid of them takes time, education, money..."
How did China manage to get rid of the barbaric and disgusting practice of female foot-binding in a single generation? To start with, I very much doubt that any sensitive well-intentioned social reformers argued that it was a "complex social phenomenon which can only be tackled by the long-term educational, economic and cultural development of the whole [Chinese] nation."
If they had, I expect most women in China would still be hobbling around on deformed stumps and little girls would still be having the bones of their feet broken even as I speak.
Way to go. We help set up and bless a thriving sharia government. What are our soldiers doing over there to prevent this sort of human rights abuse? Or are we supporting the Afghani government, who duly charged this woman under the current law?
Disgusting, especially when I think that my tax dollars are being wasted to support the barbarians.
Good points, angloirishslav
And of course it's the West's billions that are being pumped into Afghanistan.
Way to go Dubya and all those who support "Operation Afghan Freedom"
And NATO Defence ministers recently spoke of the need to accommodate the Taliban in any political agreement.
You tax bucks are work, Schmucks
Great post, CB.
Note: The well-past-middle-age Mohammed "married" a 6-year-old Aisha (for us, a kindergartner). He apparently waited until she was 9 (for us, a second or third-grader) to penetrate her, though he may have made use of the Islamic practice of "thighing" infant girls for sexual pleasure before then. The hadith certainly mention his fondness of "fondling," as any common child molester will support.
Since the Hadiths are not the word of Allah (recorded in The Koran, only), taking them as the guidance (word) of Allah is actually blasphemy.
And, thus, 90% of what is followed as "Islam" is thereby blasphemy, and un-Koranic.
(Not that the Koran is a paen of peace, but the Hadiths are far worse, far madder, and much more dangerous.)
Where in the Koran does it allow for issuing "fatwas", also?
More blasphemy.
Muslims would be far less violent and demented if they disavowed the Hadiths entirely.
"Young children and teenagers often do not fully realise the complexities of marriage and mostly fail to comply with their wedding vows, and this can lead to both physical and mental violence," said Fawzia Amini, director of the legal affairs department at Afghanistan's Ministry of Women's Affairs.
As always, blame the victims, blame the women.
I also read something else into Ms. Sughrang's remarks. Yes, she is hopeful that this problem will take generations. That way, she and her co-workers will have certain job security in the form of millions of dollars from US taxpayers and various UN agencies. Another point: During slavery, thousands of African-Americans found ways to learn how to read and write. They knew the value of such basic skills. Why haven't even the poorest peasants in Afghanistan figured that one out?
"Widespread child marriage blamed for domestic violence"
Not really true, it is a cover for the real problem:
"Widespread Mohammedism blamed for domestic violence"
"and nationwide poverty are some of the factors driving families to wed their underage daughters"
So they sell their little girls to an old man to have sex with, and they get to keep the money. No degree of poverty would ever induce me to do that. Western parents tighten their own belts, to provide for their kids.
These societies are prostituting their own children. They are pimps. Don't let them get away with pleading poverty when the truth is, their culture is lewd and depraved.
I think I have a slight but significant correction to make: i believe that Muhammad married a six year old Aisha, not a nine year old. The old troll waited until she was nine to 'consummate' the vile deed...
While it might be slightly unfair to hold this mass murdering
eye-gouging head chopping sexual sadist to a modern standard, it's the current day Muslims who worship his heinous deeds and immitate them across the globe. They are certainly primitve barbarians, and idolatrous in every respect. Not only because they follow and worship their psychotic 'prophet's' actions in life, but also because they worship the execrable book of filth and caziness which he authored called "the koran".
"He [her husband] was very brutal and was treating me violently," Razia said.
Islamic Sharia law is backwards, cruel and senseless. She is arrested and faces a possible 15 year sentence/death penalty for trying to escape this abusive old fart, while he goes unpunished for his brutal and violent acts.
Crazy!
Islamic Sharia law is backwards, cruel and senseless. She is arrested and faces a possible 15 year sentence/death penalty for trying to escape this abusive old fart, while he goes unpunished for his brutal and violent acts.
Crazy!
Posted by: champ at October 20, 2007 7:22 PM
Crazy to us, but perfectly normal to them. If allah decreed it, it cannot be questioned. What a shame and a sham that these stupid people have subjected themselves and others to the heresy of islam and its vile accouterments for almost 1400 years. It is reprehensible that our government officials have permitted these savage, braindead creatures to invade and threaten our country. It is criminal that they are squandering billions of taxpayers' dollars and precious American lives to support sharia governments in Afghanistan and Iraq---lost causes if there ever were any.
If they wanted to stop the horrendous practice of child marriages they would stop it. That malevolent, archaic, disgusting culture will never change until change is forcibly imposed, and that will never happen. All cultures are equally valid and must be respected. It will be a cold day in hell when I respect any islamic culture. They are all filthy, putrid, and obscene.
Posted by: Susanp
They are all filthy, putrid, and obscene.
Could not describe them better myself, and they have not changed that much over the years
http://illustratedpig.blogspot.com/2007/10/on-this-day-oct-21.html
If this practice was done by any other religion or culture, we would call it what it is, pedophilia. I cannot believe we accept this disgusting abuse of children by muslims in the name of their religion. If this is "diversity" I want nothing to do with it.
"As always, blame the victims, blame the women."
They're blaming chldren.
As always, if you are a Muslim male and you want sex, any thing you do is acceptable.
They keep goats in their military barracks. They have 'male' sexual relationships before marriage and keep them afterwards. They keep boys in the barracks. They kidnap or buy, marry and have sex with young girls.
Will they ever be portrayed as they truely are???
And they think we are an immoral people.
Disgusting.
Will they ever be portrayed as they truely are???
And they think we are an immoral people.
Disgusting.
Posted by: thelittlegreekwoman at October 21, 2007 11:33 PM
Well, we try to portray them as "they are" but most people don't want to know; the truth about islam is just too sickening to contemplate. It's so much easier to be a multi-culti, politically correct, cultural Marxist because you get to incessantly "celebrate" diversity in all its perverted, malevolent manifestations. Celebrations are much more fun than reality checks.
There is nothing more pathetic than a moral/cultural/religious relativist, all of whom consider themselves paragons of virtue and compassion, and champions of social justice. When one has no deep convictions, strong beliefs, moral authority, and personal values that are important enough to cherish and defend, one is a moral relativist; a vapid, vacuous nobody.
Widespread illiteracy, poverty and conservative traditions are some of the major factors, which contribute to underage marriages in Afghanistan, experts say.
Surely that should read "Widespread paedophilia is the major factor which contributes to underage marriages" No?
The marrying off of children to old men is not caused by poverty it is a "tradition" started by Mohammed and slavishly followed as an example of what a "perfect man" does with children.
Go figure.