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Fatwa authorising underage marriage
Magharebia ^ | 2008-09-12 | Imane Belhaj

Posted on 09/14/2008 4:05:26 AM PDT by Qaz_W

Moroccans and rights groups are speaking out against a recent fatwa that would allow parents to marry off their underage daughters.

Opponents to Cheikh Mohammed Maghraoui's fatwa say the marriage of nine-year-old girls is a violation of human rights in general, and children's rights in particular. Maghraoui said that at the age of nine, girls are capable of marriage, just like Aisha was when the Prophet Mohammed married her.

"We thought we were rid of those problems after the passage of the family code, which included a number of guarantees to protect children from early marriage, and after setting up the Fatwa Council," the Democratic League of Women’s Rights (LDDF) said in a statement.

The fatwa "endorses rape and child abuse of a nine-year-old child," the LDDF statement continued, adding that the organisation believes the fatwa goes against the children rights' convention and the traditions of the Moroccan people.

Morocco's new family code states that men and woman are eligible for marriage only at the age of 18. It also states that marriage for individuals below the legal age can be sanctioned only by a judge. The law allows the judge to grant such an authorisation only if he finds the marriage to be in the best interest of the parties involved, and only after consulting with the minor’s parents or legal guardian and with consideration paid to medical counselling and the findings of social research.

Cheikh Maghraoui's fatwa was issued in response to a question on whether a woman can get married before reaching the age of menstruation. In his answer, El Maghraoui said that marriage was not linked to menstruation. According to El Maghraoui's website, the fatwa had received 1,642 reads as of September 9th – more than other fatwas on the site – after it was picked up by several local newspapers.

Attorney Mourad Bakouri told the press on Thursday (September 11th) that he filed a lawsuit against Maghraoui for calling for the abuse of minors. "I have lodged a complaint against this infringement upon the Family Code, the rights of children and the risk of rape," said the lawyer.

"It made us feel the danger that is threatening our families and social stability," said Najat Anwar, president of the Don't Touch My Child association.

Religious leaders such as Maghraoui should not be allowed to issue such verdicts freely, she said. Islamic scholar Abdelbari Zemzem told reporters that the fatwa is unacceptable from a religious point of view.

The marriage of underage girls is inapplicable to modern societies, he said, where no ethical, religious or social interest could possibly authorise the marriage of a nine-year-old girl.

Many Moroccan citizens agree.

University student Khaled Najib said such fatwas distort religion and "give enemies of Islam a good reason to attack us and call us backward-minded."

Housewife Fatima Banani said "I do not think any two sane parents who care about the best interests of their daughter, who is still below the age of menstruation, will marry her off, even if the suitor is a good and honourable man."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: fatwa; islam; mohammad; muslim; pedophiles; rop; sexabuse; trop
Pretty backward for this age and time to follow Mohammed's example and permit marriage of girls below the age of menstruation.
1 posted on 09/14/2008 4:05:26 AM PDT by Qaz_W
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To: Qaz_W
The marriage of underage girls is inapplicable to modern societies,

Well, since radical Islam wants to live like they did in the 8th century being inapplicable to modern societies is not a problem.

Savages and barbarians

2 posted on 09/14/2008 4:11:52 AM PDT by Popman (McCain as POTUS is odious, Obama as POTUS is unthinkable.)
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To: Qaz_W

> The fatwa “endorses rape and child abuse of a nine-year-old child,” the LDDF statement continued, adding that the organisation believes the fatwa goes against the children rights’ convention and the traditions of the Moroccan people.

What a surprise! Radical muslims are also child molesterers. Whodathunkit?

The ovens of Hell are stoked just a little bit hotter by this news.


3 posted on 09/14/2008 4:18:45 AM PDT by DieHard the Hunter (Is mise an ceann-cinnidh. Cha ghéill mi do dhuine. Fàg am bealach.)
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To: Qaz_W

Note that the Democratic League of Women’s Rights (LDDH) is a Moroccan organization. I do not hear a lot from American Feminists about this issue.


4 posted on 09/14/2008 4:24:53 AM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
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To: Qaz_W

That didn’t stop Mahomet, piss be upon him.


5 posted on 09/14/2008 4:27:40 AM PDT by Old Sarge (Went to sleep with Palin - woke up next to McCain...)
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To: Popman
Savages and barbarians.

Yup, and a goodly portion of the American electorate want to put one in the White House.

6 posted on 09/14/2008 4:39:26 AM PDT by clee1 (We use 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 2 to pull a trigger. I'm lazy and I'm tired of smiling.)
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To: Old Sarge
That didn’t stop Mahomet, piss be upon him.

The Bible says for us to not curse anyone, but simply rebuke them

1:8 -Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.

1:9 - [In Context|Original Greek] But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

We're to not curse our enemies, even the SAtanic hosts. Let the Lord handle that one.


7 posted on 09/14/2008 4:45:05 AM PDT by MuttTheHoople
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To: MuttTheHoople
That didn’t stop Mahomet, piss be upon him.

The Bible says for us to not curse anyone, but simply rebuke them

Sir,

With due respect, it would appear from your post that you do not know what a curse is. The phrase you cite with which to take exception as a curse is, possibly, a sarcastic insult, or, perhaps a vulgarity or even an obscenity or a profanity to a Muslim, but not a curse.

Paul admonished Timothy against using poor language, and elsewhere in the New Testament, Christians are told to love their neighbors as themselves and to “turn the other cheek.” However, insulting dead, admittedly unrepentant pedophiles is not proscribed anywhere in the New Testament. Christ, Himself, insulted Pharisees by calling them a “generation of vipers.” On second thought, maybe it was the vipers who were insulted…

Of course, you could call such an insult a “stumbling block” to Mohammedans. However, simply failing to deny Christ is the Divine Son of God along with failure to acknowledge Mahomet as Allah’s prophet is also considered a stumbling block by Mohammedans. Therefore, the question remains, where should one “draw the line.”

For your edification on separation of cursing from vulgarity, obscenity and profanity, I have included below some definitions.

curse
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
1. the expression of a wish that misfortune, evil, doom, etc., befall a person, group, etc. profanity
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
1. the quality of being profane; irreverence.
2. profane conduct or language; a profane act or utterance.

profane
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
1. characterized by irreverence or contempt for God or sacred principles or things; irreligious

obscenity
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
1. the character or quality of being obscene; indecency; lewdness.
2. something obscene, as a picture or story.
3. an obscene word or expression, esp. when used as an invective.
obscene
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
1. offensive to morality or decency; indecent; depraved: obscene language.
2. causing uncontrolled sexual desire.
3. abominable; disgusting; repulsive.

vulgarity
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
1. the state or quality of being vulgar: the vulgarity of his remark.
2. something vulgar, as an act or expression

vulgar
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
1. characterized by ignorance of or lack of good breeding or taste: vulgar ostentation
2. indecent; obscene; lewd: a vulgar work; a vulgar gesture.
3. crude; coarse; unrefined: a vulgar peasant.
4. of, pertaining to, or constituting the ordinary people in a society: the vulgar masses.
5. current; popular; common: a vulgar success; vulgar beliefs.
6. spoken by, or being in the language spoken by, the people generally; vernacular: vulgar tongue.
7. lacking in distinction, aesthetic value, or charm; banal; ordinary: a vulgar painting.


8 posted on 09/14/2008 11:20:40 AM PDT by Lucky Dog
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To: Qaz_W

We can now call it the religion of piece...of ***.


9 posted on 09/14/2008 1:28:14 PM PDT by razorback-bert (Save the planet...it is the only known one with beer!)
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To: MuttTheHoople
I suppose we're to follow Obama's example, now?

Is this more to your liking?

Sarge 1:1 - There is no god.

10 posted on 09/14/2008 7:57:16 PM PDT by Old Sarge (Went to sleep with Palin - woke up next to McCain...)
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