Posted on 03/20/2014 7:26:26 AM PDT by xzins
The Shiite population of Baghdad may take an immense step backward for female equality if a new piece of legislation allowing young girls to marry is passed. The bill called the Jaafari Personal Status Law permits girls that are younger than 9 to marry with only the girl’s father having authority over the match.
On Feb. 25, the Jaafari Law gained approval from Iraq’s Council of Ministers and will affect 65 to 70 percent of the nation.
The bill proposes additional regulations as well including the prohibition of Muslim men marrying non-Muslim women. The document also states that husbands are permitted to sleep with their wives without consent and women may not leave their homes without the permission of their spouse. In divorce cases, the law orders custody of children over the age of 2 to go to the father.
A minimum age for marriage is not directly stated on the document, only instructions for divorce for girls who have reached 9 years old by the lunar Islamic calendar (8 years, 8 months).
Human rights groups are outraged by the impending law. "Iraq is in conflict and undergoing a breakdown of the rule of law," said Basma al-Khateeb, a women's rights activist. “The passage of the Jaafari law sets the ground for legalized inequality."
Iraqi Justice Minister Hassan al-Shimmari backs the bill. He says that the legislation attempts to regulate child marriage ensure the safety of women and children.
Unless you're involved in one of its endless wars, to include this war on women.
This religion is a joke....and all our “glitterati” think it’s a religion of “peace.”
Unless you’re involved in one of its endless wars, to include this war on women.
well, when we stop allowing doctors to take a metal tube and stick it in the head of an unborn baby and suck its brains out, then, we can start complaining about the laws of other countries.
Iraq wasn’t worth the bones of a single American Private.
Amazing. How someone, anyone can think on terms of relations with a 9 year old is mind boggling. Absolutely sick beyond help.
You cannot liberate those who do not want to be free.............................
This underscores the reality that the values, institutions and practices that evolved from the Enlightenment simply cannot be accommodated in Muslim cultures. When Western leaders finally realize that “we share common values and that they are just like us” is delusional rhetoric, policies will become more rational and effective.
Certainly don’t disagree, but I think these laws are less about sex than about power and control, just like most rapes. They seem to all enhance the myth of the muslim male as the incarnation of the prophet, to allow them to have whatever they want, by force if necessary. Once you condition a generation of men to think this way, it’s a small step to marshall them into armies to go out and take bigger things. Power and control = egomanaic.
“Hey, love is love, you frothing at the mouth right wing bigots! pedophobes!”
No it wasn’t.
I didn’t know Iraq was going liberal. I mean, in Mass. they are trying to get the age of consent lowered to 12 for sex and marriage
With each passing day, it’s clearer overthrowing Saddam Hussein’s secular regime was a horrible mistake.
Never get in any intra-Arab squabbles again.
Frankly, I could have cared less if Saddam had Kuwait, what’s so great about Kuwait anyway? Just another dysfunctional Arab State created by British map makers and oil companies.
And if we left Saddam alone, he wouldn’t have turned to the terrorism that required us to go back.
Too bad our leaders didn’t recognize this before our massive loss of blood and treasure. We should never have gotten engaged in a prolonged commitment or nation building.
Their ingrained “ways” go back thousands of years and there’s no changing that.
Islam’s war against civilization is FAR from over.
I really have to wonder WTF we were thinking going in there?? so many good and valuable citizens lost or maimed for life... for what??? some worthless heathens!!
makes me sick!
I was naive, I really thought at one time we could change the Arab world.
Now my eyes are open.
it was better under Saddam
It sad that Bush actually thought that by overthrowing Hussein he could bring democracy and civilization to a country of screaming bearded savages.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.