So why is the practice of
child marriage sanctioned in Muslim countries? Unfortunately, ultra-conservative
religious authorities justify this old tribal custom by citing the Prophet
Muhammad's marriage to Aisha. They allege Aisha was nine years old when the
prophet married her. But they focus conveniently on selected Islamic texts to
support their opinions, while ignoring vast number of other texts and historical
information, which suggests Aisha was much older, putting her age of marriage at
19. Child marriage is against Islam as the Qur'an is clear that intellectual
maturity is the basis for deciding age of marriage, and not puberty, as
suggested by these clerics.
Whatever
one's view on the prophet's marriage, no faith can claim moral superiority since
child marriages have been practised in various cultures and societies across the
world at one time or another. In modern times, though, marrying children is no
longer acceptable and no excuse should be used to justify this. -- Shaista Gohir
Also
See:
The hypocrisy of child abuse in many Muslim
countries
Child marriage and pederasty are
tolerated in Muslim societies where homosexuality is strictly
condemned
By Shaista
Gohir
Some Muslims are fond of
condemning western morality – alcoholism, nudity, premarital sex and
homosexuality often being cited as examples. But Muslims do not have a monopoly
on morality. In the west, child marriages and sex with children are illegal.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many Muslim
countries.
I recently saw the documentary
on the Dancing Boys of Afghanistan. It exposed an ancient custom called "bacha
bazi" (boy for play), where rich men buy boys as young as 11 from impoverished
families for sexual slavery. The boys are dressed in women's clothes and made to
dance and sing at parties, before being carted away by the men for sex. Owning
boys is considered a symbol of status and one former warlord boasted of having
up to 3,000 boys over a 20-year period, even though he was married, with two
sons. The involvement of the police and inaction of the government means this
form of child prostitution is widespread.
The moral hypocrisy is
outrageous in a country where homosexuality is not only strictly forbidden but
savagely punished, even between two consenting adults. However, men who sodomise
young boys are not considered homosexuals or paedophiles. The love of young boys
is not a phenomenon restricted to Afghanistan; homosexual pederasty is common in
neighbouring Pakistan, too. In my view, repression of sexuality and extreme
gender apartheid is to blame.
And in the Middle East, it's
young girls who are considered desirable and men are able to satisfy their lusts
legally through child marriages. In Yemen, more than a quarter of girls are
married before the age of 15. Cases of girls dying during childbirth are not
unusual, and recently, one 12-year-old child bride even died from internal
bleeding following sexual intercourse. In another case, a 12-year-old girl was
married to an 80-year-old man in Saudi Arabia.
So why is the practice of child
marriage sanctioned in Muslim countries? Unfortunately, ultra-conservative
religious authorities justify this old tribal custom by citing the prophet
Muhammad's marriage to Aisha. They allege Aisha was nine years old when the
prophet married her. But they focus conveniently on selected Islamic texts to
support their opinions, while ignoring vast number of other texts and historical
information, which suggests Aisha was much older, putting her age of marriage at
19. Child marriage is against Islam as the Qur'an is clear that intellectual
maturity is the basis for deciding age of marriage, and not puberty, as
suggested by these clerics.
Whatever one's view on the
prophet's marriage, no faith can claim moral superiority since child marriages
have been practised in various cultures and societies across the world at one
time or another. In modern times, though, marrying children is no longer
acceptable and no excuse should be used to justify this.
I find the false adherence to
Islamic principles and the "holier than thou" attitude of some Muslim societies
similar to the blatant hypocrisy and double standards of 19th-century Victorian
Britain, where the outward appearance of dignity and prudishness camouflaged an
extreme prevalence of sexual and moral depravity behind closed doors. In those
days, too, there were many men willing to pay to have sex with children – until
a plethora of social movements arose that resulted in changes in laws and
attitudes in society.
A similar shift in social
attitudes is also required in traditional Muslim societies. Having boy sex
slaves or child brides should not be seen as badges of honour. Instead, Muslims
need to do more to attach shame to such practices; otherwise, acceptance of this
behaviour will make them complicit in the sexual exploitation of children. I
fail to understand why Muslims are so vocal on abuses by the west in Abu Ghraib,
Guantánamo, Iraq and Afghanistan, but display moral blindness when it comes to
children? It's about time this silence was broken, so these violations of
innocence can be stopped.
A too-passive attitude in
dealing with child abuse has rubbed off on Muslim communities in Britain, too. I
have heard many stories at first hand of child sexual abuse and rape, which show
that the issue is not being addressed at all. Those who have had the courage to
speak out have been met with reactions of denial and shame. Such attitudes mean
that children will continue to suffer in silence. Sexual abuse of children
happens in all communities, as has been revealed by the recent Catholic church
scandal. At least, they have finally started to take action. Muslim communities
should learn from this and also start being more open, instead of continuing to
sweeping the issue under the carpet.
I am finding that more and more
Muslims feel it is their duty to criticise others for actions they consider
sinful – quoting the following popular saying of Muhammad to justify their
interference:
"If you see something wrong, you
should correct it with your hand and if you are unable to, then speak out
against it and if you cannot do that, then feel that it is wrong in your
heart."
I wonder how, then, Muslims can
remain silent when it comes to the sexual abuse of children?
Source:
guardian.co.uk
11:16 PM
Sultan Shahin
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