A Muslim schoolgirl, who was married by the age of eight to a 29-year-old man, today launched a new book about her extraordinary ordeal.  Islam allows child marriages not to forget Islamic prophet Mohammed had married Ayesha, a 6 year old child when he was in his 52. Nojoud Ali, now aged 10, is in Paris promoting an autobiography which is set to be a worldwide bestseller. 

British publishers are already queuing up for the rights to a story which has been taken up by women’s rights groups worldwide.  Parents are allowed to marry their daughter by Islamic law, Sharia,  if they judge that their daughter is ‘ready’ for marriage. Noujoud’s strict Muslim family had decided she was, forcing her to go and live with Faez Ali Thameur. Yemen, an Islamic nation, one of the poorest countries in the world, is notorious for its child brides. Noujoud said she was also regularly beaten by her husband.  Shatha Nasser, Noujoud’s lawyer, said: ‘Child brides are common in parts of  Islamic nation of Yemen,. Now Nojoud and her eight year-old sister Hifa are able to go to school thanks to financial donations from human rights activists. Her case was also taken up by politicians including Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and the actress Nicole Kidman. Visiting Pantin, a suburb of Paris yesterday, Nojoud said: ‘Now I want to return to school so as to become a lawyer and help other girls like me.’ 

‘Me, Nojoud, 10, divorcee’ is published by Michel Lafon

Part1

Part2

Part3

Yemen Times published this article as a closing statement to the 8 year old Nojoud (Nujood) divorcing her 30 year old husband, addressing the whole Yemeni society to stop such abuse.

Prima, mentre guardavo Cristina Parodi truccata come una geisha per festeggiare una edizione particolarmente importante del TG5, pensavo a Nojoud, nello Yemen, e alla sua vita finita.
Data in moglie a 8 anni a un uomo di 30, dopo essere stuprata e picchiata in continuazione dal marito ha avuto il coraggio di presentarsi al tribunale di Sana’a, la capitale dello stato, e chiedere il divorzio, contro tutta la sua famiglia.
‘Sì, sono stato in intimità con lei ma non ho fatto nulla di male. È mia moglie e ne ho il diritto. Nessuno può fermarmi’ ha dichiarato il marito, che è stato sì arrestato, ma è stato rilasciato perché sofferente di problemi mentali.

http://www.corriere.it/esteri/08_aprile_14/yemen_sposa_otto_anni_si_ribella_6095375e-09e6-11dd-bdc8-00144f486ba6.shtml

Guardavo Cristina Parodi e pensavo a Kovi Dunbar, 17 anni, gallese, adolescente con un sogno di quelli che si fanno a quell’età quando si guarda troppa televisione: fare la modella.
A scuola i compagni la prendevano in giro e la tormentavano con atti di bullismo per via di una malattia rara, la paresi di Bell, che quando meno te lo aspetti ti blocca i muscoli facciali, distorcendo i lineamenti del viso, impedendoti anche di parlare.
Era stata la madre, alla ricerca disperata di un qualcosa che facesse stare meglio Kovi dopo che le fu diagnosticata la malattia, ma questa era peggiorata e così la situazione a scuola.
Kovi è fuggita di casa con un ragazzo conosciuto su myspace e ha fatto perdere le sue tracce per 10 giorni.
Ora l’hanno trovata, la fuga impossibile dalla realtà è finita, e tornerà a farsi trattare in modo crudele dai suoi compagni di scuola.

http://www.corriere.it/cronache/08_aprile_13/fuga_miss_paresi_viso_b084a01c-0935-11dd-84be-00144f486ba6.shtml

Guardavo Cristina Parodi e pensavo a Rita Levi-Montalcini, 99 anni, cinque lauree, quasi cieca, premio Nobel per la medicina nel 1986.
Ieri si è presentata al seggio di via Reggio Calabria a Roma, a braccetto di un accompagnatore che, vista la fila, ha chiesto alle persone in coda la cortesia di far votare prima la signora. Senza presentare referenze ha chiesto solo un gesto di educazione.
Ma si è trovato davanti al frutto dell’atmosfera idilliaca e fraterna seminata dalla politica di quei signori che in questo momento stanno freneticamente contando i minuti che li separano dalla vittoria finale. Non ci scordiamo di quello che disse e scrisse la destra, la cui frase più delicata fu ‘diamole un incarico al Ghetto’ e non scordiamoci neanche della Lega, che voleva annullare gli stanziamenti per la fondazione scientifica della senatrice.
‘Faccia la fila come gli altri’, le hanno detto in quattro.
In un paese civile si fanno gesti di cortesia verso le donne in dolce attesa e gli anziani, nel nostro invece queste cose le si fanno solo con le donne in dolce attesa e gli anziani che la pensano come noi.

http://www.repubblica.it/2008/04/sezioni/politica/elezioni-2008/montalcini/montalcini.html

Guardavo Cristina Parodi e pensavo a Giuseppina Pasqualino di Marineo in arte Pippa Bacca, 33 anni, artista, nipote di Piero Manzoni.
Lei e Silvia Moro, un’altra artista, erano partite l’8 marzo scorso da Milano, in autostop, vestite da spose con abiti realizzati appositamente da Byblos, per un viaggio verso l’Europa dell’Est e il Medio Oriente. L’abito da sposa rappresentava il candore dell’amore che attraversava paesi devastati dall’odio.
La sfortuna, in Turchia, ha voluto farle incontrare un maniaco assassino che l’ha massacrata e violentata non so in che ordine.
‘Era molto fiduciosa. Purtroppo ha incontrato la persona sbagliata, nel posto sbagliato, nel momento sbagliato’, ha detto il suo fidanzato.
Ditemi perché sto pensando che se avesse evitato di affrontare quell’impresa così pericolosa, magari sarebbe ancora viva e il mondo avrebbe recepito dalla sua performance lo stesso messaggio, ossia nessuno.

http://www.corriere.it/cronache/08_aprile_12/pippa_strangolata_8d6750a0-0888-11dd-883b-00144f486ba6.shtml

Guardavo Cristina Parodi e pensavo a Paris Hilton, 27 anni, ereditiera di un patrimonio ammontante a circa 800 milioni di dollari.
L’altro giorno è arrivata a Bologna, in ritardo come le dive vere, perché testimonial di un espositore di extensions al Salone Internazionale della Bellezza.
Con sua grossa delusione ha trovato solo quattro gatti ad attenderla, e anche i quattro gatti sono rimasti delusi di vederla in jeans e t-shirt invece che senza mutande come al solito.

http://www.corriere.it/spettacoli/08_aprile_12/paris_hilton_salone_bellezza_bologna_6df97abe-08a0-11dd-883b-00144f486ba6.shtml

Jesus said, “You shall know them by their fruits” Matthew 7:20

Looking through my Tag surfer, I found a post pointing to a story from Yemen. Are you ready for this? I wasn’t.

8 year old, Nojoud Muhhamed Nasser, a brave little girl from Yemen, went to court eight days ago, by herself, to find a judge. She wanted to find out, if she could be divorced from her 30 year old husband, whom her father forced her to marry 2 months ago. By the Yemeni law, she is to young to prosecute, but her father and her husband have been arrested. This is 21st century, people.

Her testimony:

“My father beat me and told me that I must marry this man, and if I did not, I would be raped and no law and no sheikh in this country would help me. I refused but I couldn’t stop the marriage,” Nojoud Nasser told the Yemen Times. “I asked and begged my mother, father, and aunt to help me to get divorced. They answered, ‘We can do nothing. If you want you can go to court by yourself.’ So this is what I have done.”

“He used to do bad things to me, and I had no idea as to what a marriage is. I would run from one room to another in order to escape, but in the end he would catch me and beat me and then continued to do what he wanted. I cried so much but no one listened to me. One day I ran away from him and came to the court and talked to them.”

“Whenever I wanted to play in the yard he beat me and asked me to go to the bedroom with him. This lasted for two months”

“He was too tough with me, and whenever I asked him for mercy, he beat me and slapped me and then used me. I just want to have a respectful life and divorce him.”

Her husband says:

Yes, I was intimate with her, but I have done nothing wrong, as she is my wife and I have the right and no one can stop me,” he said. “But if the judge or other people insist that I divorce her, I will do it, it’s ok.”

It’s not ok. You have ruined someone’s life forever…

In Yemeni civil law, children under the age of 15 can not get married, but in 1998 an amendment was made, in order for parents to be able to make a marriage contract, if they wish so. Officially, the husband can not consummate the marriage until the girl is “ready” or “mature” ( I really do not know exactly, what that means in Yemeni law. Has her first period? Verbally agrees to have a sexual contact with her husband?)

Muslims are to follow Muhammed’s example. After Muhammed’s first wife died, he married his best friend’s daughter, Aisha. She was six at that time, so he had to wait to consummate the marriage until she was about nine. (There are controversies about Aisha’s age, some Muslim scholars are trying to convince the masses, that she was bit older than that).

Muhammed followed the cultural norm established in his land: marrying young girls and starting sexual interactions with them after their first menses was a norm at that time in the Arabic Peninsula (Jewish custom said the girl must be at least 12.5, the boy at least 13). Therefore Muhammed established this practice for his followers to come for the next centuries. Islam authoritatively and consequently follows His Prophet’s example till today.

To make things easier for the men, there is a Fatwa (ruling on Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar) explaining Muhammed’s sexual relationship with Aisha, which they can follow, if needed.

(…) answering the question about “thighing” of Aisha, (…)

After the committee studied the issue, they gave the following reply:
It has not been the practice of the Muslims throughout the centuries to resort to this unlawful practice that has come to our countries from pornographic movies that the kufar (infidels) and enemies of Islam send. As for the prophet, peace and prayer of Allah be upon him, thighing his fiancée Aisha. She was six years of age and he could not have intercourse with her due to her small age. That is why [the prophet] peace and prayer of Allah be upon him placed HIS [MALE] MEMBER BETWEEN HER THIGHS AND MASSAGED IT SOFTLY, as the apostle of Allah had control of his [male] member not like other believers.. (from here )

If you can find another word then a word starting with “p” describing this act done to a child, send me a note.

Anyway, that’s what and why Muslim men think about marrying young girls in some parts of the world still today.

The question to investigate would be: is this beneficial for the child-bride? Can the modern psychology, science change the approach of Muslims in this subject?

It is a proven fact that after the first menses, it takes between 1 to 6 years for a girl to be ready to successfully carry a baby full term. Younger girls are more likely to miscarry and their babies are facing higher risks during their developmental stage.

Mental, psychological, emotional and spiritual growth, and in consequences, beneficial engagement in the society is highly imparted also.

Early pregnancies are the leading cause of death for girls age 15 to 19 in the developing world, UN reports. According to UNFPA, at least 49 countries in the world are facing the problem of “child-brides”. In Afghanistan, it is believed that between 60 and 80 percent of marriages are forced marriages.

Why are parents doing this to their children? The answer is almost always the same: financial or material benefits. Some are bought with money, some with material possessions, some with animals, some are the debts payments (officially it is a dowry, of course). Sad, but true.

You tell me, if girls so young are mature enough to handle life provided for them in such a way. You tell me, if you would like to volunteer and live through such life? You tell me, if you would allow your daughter/sister/mother to have a life story so traumatic? You tell me, if it should be still permissible in Islam to marry elementary age girls ?

Nojoud, you are a brave girl. I will remember you.

More reading:

Child brides in Islam

7 years old child bride in Ethiopia

Child brides in Afghanistan

4 years old child bride in Afghanistan

Saudi 11 year old marrying 10 year old cousin

12 years old Nigerian, widowed at 20 with 5 kids and pregnant