The cleric probably figured that if Muhammad could marry a six-year-old (and consummate the marriage when she was nine), what could be wrong with this? “Police halt wedding of boy, seven, to girl aged five,” from The Guardian, October 31 (thanks to all who sent this in):
Police have halted a wedding between a seven-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl in Pakistan, arresting the Muslim cleric officiating at the ceremony and the children’s parents.
A police raid prevented the cleric from going ahead with the ceremony in Karachi, which was attended by 100 guests, said the deputy superintendent of police, Malik Mazhar.
Pakistani law forbids marriage below the age of 18, but some Muslim scholars deem it permissible if the bride and groom have reached puberty….