May-December Marriage
More like January-December:
The Saudi daily ‘Okaz reported on August 25, 2009 that the father of a 10-year-old girl had removed her from her aunt’s home, where she had been hiding for 10 days, and brought her back to her husband, who, according to the girl’s relatives, is 80 years old. In an ‘Okaz interview, the husband stated that he was not yet 80, accused the girl’s aunt of interfering in his private life, and claimed that according to the shari’a his marriage is legal as long as the girl’s father consents to it. He explained that the girl’s father had first offered him his older daughter, but when the latter refused, the father had suggested the younger one, and he had agreed, since when girl was shown to him, he couldn’t see anything to prevent their getting married.
But don’t worry. The Saudi Human Rights Commission (you read right) is on the case, claiming ” such marriages were detrimental to the minor’s emotional and physical health, and harmful to society. Al-’Abdallah further stated that underage marriage violated the rights of the child as set out in the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Saudi Arabia is a signatory, and which defines anyone under 18 as a minor.”
Huh.
Well, if the Saudis want to join the modern world and recognize the rights of the child (and, dare we dream, the rights of women, Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, et al), I have only two words in response: howdy Saudi.
Bloodthirsty Liberal said,
October 30, 2009 @ 3:41 pm
Me thinks you wrote that entire post just to be able to say: Howdy Saudi!
- Aggie
Pavel said,
October 30, 2009 @ 5:37 pm
If she’s ten, she’s almost twice the age of the Prophet Mohammad’s six year old wife, A’isha. This dude must like older women, is all I can say.
Joe O'Neill said,
October 31, 2009 @ 11:29 am
Tina Turner said it all ” What’s love got to do with it ?”
If I remember the film ,there were a couple of hidings involved,never knew Ike was a Howdy Saudi