A Saudi Arabian court is to rule next month on the divorce of an eight-year-old girl from a man in his fifties.

 

The girl, who still does not know she is married, lives with her parents in the town of Unayzah, 135 miles north of the capital Riyadh. The marriage had been arranged in secret by her father.

 

She is preparing to start the new year at primary school in the town, which is located in the conservative Najd region of the country - the spiritual homeland of the Islamist Wahhabi movement that has long dominated the kingdom.

 

According to the Arabic-language newspaper Al-Watan, which reported the case, the divorce suit has been filed by the girl's mother.

 

Her relatives have contacted human rights groups in the kingdom to try to arrange legal help to annul the marriage.

 

However, the husband has refused, saying he has done nothing wrong.

Saudi Arabia's justice system is based on a conservative interpretation of Sharia law, but also incorporates some aspects of tribal custom from the people of the Arabian peninsula.

 

Polygamy is common and arranged marriages involving pre-adolescent girls and older men are occasionally reported.

The rate of child marriage rates in the Middle East is lower than in parts of Africa and south Asia, but there is a particular problem in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

In April another eight-year-old girl won a divorce after fleeing from her husband, aged 28, and arriving in the main court in the capital Sana'a.

 

A United Nations report on child marriage in 2005 found that 100 million girls were expected to marry by the age of 18 before 2015. The worst countries for child marriage were Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh.

 

Source: Sunday Telegraph

Disgusting! That father should be punished for arranging a marriage for a girl as young as 10. It should be against the law in those countries to marry under the age of 18 for both men and women.

 

Ugh. I really don't understand Islam culture sometimes (not being disrespectful or anything)

A United Nations report on child marriage in 2005 found that 100 million girls were expected to marry by the age of 18 before 2015. The worst countries for child marriage were Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh.

 

Bit confused by that, are they including UK in this figure....? After all, you can legally marry here at 16..... :unsure:

 

Ugh. I really don't understand Islam culture sometimes (not being disrespectful or anything)

 

Well, my Pakistani and Bangladeshi friends (who are Muslims) would probably say that these were "Crazy Wahabiist Arabs"... So, go figure...LOL... Anyway, this sort of thing is by no means confined to Islam, or even to Arabs - in Indian Hindu culture you have the "Caste System" where often young girls are put into Arranged Marriages...

 

No way should it be sugar-coated though, I mean, I dont see why this should be seen any differently than what the likes of Paul Gadd get up to with young Vietnamese girls... I mean, just cos it's a "marriage" (which is a joke in itself seeing as how there was no actual ceremony as such from what I can tell...) doesn't mean that on some level it aint an abusive relationship....

Ugh. I really don't understand Islam culture sometimes (not being disrespectful or anything)

 

I prefer quoting this comment, and continuing by NO COMMENT :wacko: I dunnot feel like being racist, but these things dunnot happen in my town :P So, I'm finishing my comment by hoping to not read anymore news that are broadcasted to us, but dunnot make sense at all :P How can a girl get married at 8 years old, and then also ask for divorce? :blink: xox.