Islam upholds women’s rights, say the Islamic spokesmen in the West, and it all sounds great. Yet stories like this reinforce the often-reinforced impression that in Islam women are treated essentially as commodities. “Turkey: 12-Year-Old Girl Sold By Father for 4 Cows,” from ANSAmed, n.d. (thanks to Insubria):
(ANSAmed) – ANKARA – A 12-year-old girl from Corum, a village in central Anatolia not far from Ankara, has been sold twice by her father: the first time in exchange for four cows, and the second time for 10,000 Turkish lire (around 4,800 euros). Just yesterday the police discovered the crime and arrested the girl’s father and the second buyer, while the first is still being sought. The story was reported by daily paper Vatan, which writes that Sukru A. (this is the name of the father) sold his daughter K.A last summer when she was just 12 years old to 29-year-old bricklayer Kamber Bostan in exchange for four cows, who married the girl in a religious ceremony in front of the imam. After several months however, the girl – who became pregnant in the meantime – went back home because she didn’t get on with her husband. Last December, in her sixth month of pregnancy, she lost the child. Ten days later the father sold her again, this time to a 20-year-old unemployed man, Gokhan Turk, who paid 3,000 out of the 10,000 lire agreed upfront, and took the girl home. Yesterday, when Turk refused to pay the balance – claiming that the girl he bought was not a virgin – Sukru A. turned to the police and reported him for insolvency but without mentioning the reason. After a short investigation the truth came out and both the father and Turk were arrested, while Bostan is still being sought.(ANSAmed).