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May 20, 2006
India: Muslim Cleric Says Girl's Marriage At Age Of Two Is Valid
The Muslim community is getting its abayas in a twist in the state of Rajasthan in northwest India, concerning the "marriage" of a child. The case concerns a girl named Mafia, who was given away in marriage at the age of two, on May 8, 1990, states NewIndPress. Now she is aged 19, she has become married to another man. This marriage, made when she was of legal age, took place on March 17 this year.
But it seems that her Muslim community is now challenging the validity of her adult marriage, because the ceremony conducted when she was only a toddler is seen as rightful under Islamic law.
To make maters worse, her first "husband", Firoz, is refusing to accept that Mafia is not his bride. He will not grant her a divorce, and has announced that he will be marrying another girl next month. Mafia claims that Firoz is intending to keep her as a second wife.
When Mafia underwent her "marriage" her father, Babu Khan, solemnised the wedding, or nikahnama. At that time two of her older sisters were also married. One of her sisters was married to a member of Firoz's family. Mafia, being underage for sexual relations, was kept at home, while her sister was sent to live as a full bride with her new husband.
Mafia's sister did not get along with Firoz's family, however, and she was thrown out of their house. The family also said that they did not accept Mafia as a bride. Babu Khan then sued the other family for torturing Mafia's sister, and demanding dowry money. (Dowry is now illegal in India, though it still takes place).
But when Mafia married Idris, a youth from her community in the town of Bhilwara, the Muslim hierarchy became incensed. Muslim clerics ordered Mafia to remain at home with her family rather than consummate her marriage, as they viewed her previous marriage is Islamically binding. Even though she was only two and hardly had a say or an opion on the matter when it took place.
One cleric, Mufti Akhla-Ur-Rehman Kazmi, states: "Though it is wrong to marry a minor, it has been done. But she has not been divorced, how can she marry again? It is against our laws."
He admitted that Mafia had been wronged, but insisted that she should gain a divorce. As Firoz was not granting her Talaq, then she should go to a Muslim cleric in her region to have the marriage annulled.
Mafia said of the actions of her first husband: "I know this is being done to exact revenge from our family. Where would I go?...I don't want to spend the rest of my life with Firoz. I should be allowed to live with Idris. Laws can't be different for individuals."
Yes they can. In Islam, a woman is not the equal of a man, despite the taqqiya that is spouted by Muslim apologists. A man can have four wives, and can divorce any one of them when he chooses. A woman can only be married to one man, and has no powers to divorce him.
It is disgraceful to Western eyes that Muslim clerics can uphold a marriage conducted with a two year old child. But when the so-called prophet of Islam was a paedophile, one cannot really expect any better.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at May 20, 2006 8:17 AM
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