MUHAMMAD, AISHA, ISLAM, AND
CHILD BRIDES
by Silas
INTRODUCTION
Muhammad was 52 and Aisha was 9 when
they married and sexually consummated their marriage. Muhammad followed an Arab custom in marrying a child who had her
first menstrual cycle. This action must
be questioned, regardless of it being a cultural norm, because Muhammad's
action and teachings on marriage established an Islamic precedent: a girl is judged an adult following her
first menses, and is eligible for marriage and sexual relations. Thus Muslim men are allowed to marry and
have intercourse with young girls who have happened to have an early first
menstrual cycle. As will be shown, this
leads to physical and psychological damage to the child.
Muhammad's first wife - Khadija,
died a few years before he fled to Medina.
Later, he was encouraged to take another wife. At the age of 49 he was betrothed to Aisha, age six. Aisha was his closest friend's, Abu Bakr's,
daughter. At that time, she had already
been betrothed to another man but by mutual consent the betrothal was
dissolved. Three years later, following
her first menstrual cycle, he then formally married and sexually consummated
his marriage with her.
Most Western people know it is not
in a 9 year old girl's best interest to engage in marriage and sexual relations
with a 52 year old man, regardless of the cultural setting. We know that, in our culture today, a person
doing such a thing could possible be sent to prison for sex with a minor,
statutory rape, or other related laws. Most
of us find it questionable for Muhammad, a self proclaimed prophet of God, to
do such a thing. We expect a real
prophet to know better, or at least hear from God on the matter.
What is more critical than
Muhammad's single action with Aisha is that he taught that a girl is considered
an adult following her first menstrual cycle.
He also taught that his followers were to follow his "sunnah"
or lifestyle. Thus today, throughout
much of the Mideast, girls as young as nine are often married by men old enough
to be their grandfather.
But why then do we find it
objectionable? After all, Muhammad did
not live in our culture or under our law.
He lived under a Semitic culture.
And this custom of marrying girls after their first menses existed in
the Mideast long before Muhammad. What
is the basis for rejection of this Semite custom and Muhammad's precedent? Are there any valid reasons to criticize it? Or should it simply be rejected based upon
our own cultural bias?
I'll address this and other issues
in this paper, and a discussion of the consequences of his deed as well. However some fundamental groundwork needs to
be laid before moving on. Aisha's
actual age is the first point that needs to be established. Within the Islamic world there is division
concerning Aisha's age when she sexually consummated her marriage. Many Muslims in the West have a hard time
accepting Aisha was only a little girl of 9 when their "prophet" had
sex with her. Some Muslims, and even
Western writers, wrote that she did not have sex with Muhammad until she was 14
or so. I've never seen any textual
Islamic support for their position, only conjecture. But the thought of their prophet committing such an act is
embarrassing to them, so they invent, or re-write, documented Islamic history
to make it more acceptable to their minds and the minds of other Western people
as well.
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EVIDENCE
THAT AISHA WAS 9 WHEN HER MARRIAGE TO MUHAMMAD WAS CONSUMMATED
There are a number of sources, all
written by Muslims, that detail Muhammad's marriage and consummation with his
young child-bride - Aisha.
FROM
THE HADITH OF SAHIH BUKHARI
I have used Bukhari's Hadith,
translated into English by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, at the Islamic University
in Medina. Bukhari's Hadith is
considered authentic by the majority of Sunni Islamic scholars. It is second to the Quran in terms of
importance. The central figure to approve and sign the translation is Dr. Amin
Al-Masri, Ph.D. Cambridge University.
He is the Advisor and Head of the Sharia Dept., at the College of Sharia
and Islamic Studies in Mecca.
From Bukhari
vol. 7, #65:
"Narrated Aisha that the
prophet wrote the marriage contract with her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old. Hisham said: "I have been informed that Aisha remained with the prophet
for nine years (i.e. till his death).""
Bukhari vol.
7, #88:
"Narrated Urwa: "The prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with Aisha while she was six years old
and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old
and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death).""
Bukhari vol.
5, #234 says:
"Narrated Aisha: The prophet engaged me when I was a girl of
six. We went to Medina and stayed at
the home of Harith Kharzraj. Then I got
ill and my hair fell down. Later on my
hair grew (again) and my mother, Um Ruman, came to me while I was playing in a
swing with some of my girl friends. She
called me, and I went to her, not knowing what she wanted to do to me. She caught me by the hand and made me stand
at the door of the house. I was
breathless then, and when my breathing became all right, she took some water
and rubbed my face and head with it.
Then she took me into the house.
There in the house I saw some Ansari women who said, "Best wishes
and Allah's blessing and a good luck."
Then she entrusted me to them and they prepared me (for the
marriage). Unexpectedly
Allah's messenger came to me in the forenoon and my mother handed me over to
him, and at that time I was a girl of nine years of age."
FROM
THE HADITH OF SAHIH MUSLIM VOLUME 2, #3309
Aisha reported: Allah’s Messenger married me when I was six
years old, and I was admitted to his house at the
age of nine….
FROM
THE HADITH OF THE SUNAN OF ABU DAWUD
Abu Dawud's Hadith is the third most
respected Hadith in Islam.
From Abu
Dawud, Vol. 2, #2116:
"Aisha said, "The Apostle
of Allah married me when I was seven years old." (The narrator Sulaiman said:
"Or six years.").
"He had intercourse with me when I was 9
years old."
FROM
THE HISTORY OF TABARI
Tabari wrote the most authentic
Islamic history. It covers 39
volumes. Tabari was one of the greatest
Islamic scholars and the greatest Islamic Historian.
From Tabari,
volume 7, page7:
"....my
marriage (to Muhammad) was consummated when I was nine....."
From Tabari,
volume 9, page 131
"Then the men and women got up
and left. The Messenger of God
consummated his marriage with me in my house when I was nine years old. Neither a camel nor a sheep was slaughtered
on behalf of me"......(The Prophet) married her three years before the
Emigration, when she was seven years old and
consummated the marriage when she was nine years old, after he had
emigrated to Medina in Shawwal. She was
eighteen years old when he died.
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I also want to provide evidence from
the best Islamic Ency. available in English, and other Islamic writers. They also acknowledge Aisha's age being 9.
FROM
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ISLAM, under
"Aisha". (pub. by E.J.
Brill).
"Some time after the death of
Khadija, Khawla suggested to Muhammad that he should marry either Aisha, the 6
year old daughter of his chief follower, or Sawda Zama, a widow of about 30,
who had gone as a Muslim to Abyssinia and whose husband had died there. Muhammad is said to have asked her to
arrange for him to marry both. It had
already been agreed that Aisha should marry Djubayr Mutim, whose father, though
still pagan, was friendly to the Muslims.
By common consent, however, this agreement was set aside, and Muhammad
was betrothed to Aisha.... The marriage was not consummated until some months
after the Hidjra, (in April 623, 624).
Aisha went to live in an apartment in Muhammad's house, later the mosque
of Median. She
cannot have been more than ten years old at the time and took her toys to her
new home."
From the Muslim book "WOMEN IN
ISLAM" by Said Abjullah Seif-Al-Hatimy, published by Islamic Publications
in Lahore Pakistan:
"...(Aisha) She was the youngest of his wives. It is said that she was nine years of age
when he married her."
SUMMATION OF
THE EVIDENCE OF AISHA'S AGE
I've belabored the point. But because of the controversy within the
Islamic world I had to document her age thoroughly. The most respected Hadith and Islamic scholars from early on until
this present day state that Aisha was 9 when Muhammad engaged in sexual relations
with her.
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DEFINITION
OF THE WORD TRANSLATED AS "CONSUMMATE"
There has been some confusion about
the definition of the word "consummate". In Sahih Bukhari, vol. 7, #64, the root word used is
"dakhala". From the Hans-Wehr
Arabic-English Dictionary p273, it means "to enter, to pierce, to
penetrate, to consummate the marriage, cohabit, sleep with a woman".
I have also asked two native Arabic
speakers to confirm the definition of the word used in Bukhari. They read Bukhari in Arabic for themselves,
and did indeed say it meant that Muhammad had sexual intercourse with Aisha
when she was 9.
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ISLAM
AND THE AGE OF PUBERTY
Islam teaches that female puberty
begins when the menses is started. From
Bukhari, volume 3, Book of Witnesses, chapter 18, page 513:
"The boy attaining the age of
puberty and the validity of their witness and the Statement of Allah:
"And when the children among
you attain the age of puberty, then let them also ask for permission (to
enter)." Quran 24:59.
Al Mughira said, "I attained
puberty at the age of twelve." The
attaining of puberty by women is with the start of menses, as is referred to by
the Statement of Allah:
"Such of your women as have
passed the age of monthly courses, for them the prescribed period if you have any
doubts (about their periods) is three months... [65:4]
...Al-Hasan bin Salih said, "I
saw a neighbouress of mine who became a grandmother at the age of twenty-one." [1]
[1]
The note for this reference says, "This women attained puberty at
the age of nine and married to give birth to a daughter at ten; the daughter
had the same experience."
My understanding of the above is
that Islam considers that when a child "attains", or begins,
"puberty", then he / she is considered an adult. Hence the validity of the witness.
Muhammad followed a cultural norm in
marrying and having sex with a young girl.
After all, she was considered an adult.
Not only did he do that, but he taught his followers to do as he
did. Therefore is acceptable for Muslim
men to marry and have intercourse with girls who have had their menarche. Muhammad established this cultural practice
as a precedent in Islam.
I add that there are other primitive
cultures that allow girls to marry following their menarche. But that does not make it right or in the
best interests of the child. Some cultures
killed baby daughters for various reasons.
Cultural norms do not make an action morally right.
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JEWISH
CULTURE AND MARRIAGE
The
Baker Ency. of the Bible says about Jewish marriage customs in
volume 2, page 1407, under "Marriage":
"Subsequently, minimum ages
(for marriage) of 13 for boys and 12 for girls were set."
And Jim West, ThD, writes online,
[at http://www.theology.edu/marriage.htm],
in "Ancient Israelite Marriage Customs":
"The wife was to be taken from
within the larger family circle (usually at the "outset of puberty"
or around the age of 13) in order to maintain the purity of the family
line".
Even in the Mishnah, the age of maturity for a female is
12.5 years:
"she won her case in court
before she matured [at the age of twelve years and six months], lo, they belong
to the father." Mishnah Ketubot,
4:1.
So we see that Jewish culture also
allowed young girls to be married at an early age. Not as young as 9, but as young as 12. The beginning of puberty was not the cultural norm for the Jewish
culture to allow marriage. I assume
marriage was allowed if the girl had her menarche, AND she reached the age of
12. This is superior to Islam's
standard. Judaism insists that a girl
must be at least 12, Islam allows for marriage following the first menses. I believe that there have been documented
cases of girls having menarche as young as 8.
So here is the crux of the
matter: do I, or anyone else, have the
right to reprove Muhammad for instituting an accepted cultural norm as a
legally permissible practice? Is it
unjust criticism from me (and others) when we say that it is wrong to marry and
engage in sex with young girls?
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SCIENCE
AND PUBERTY
How do the biological sciences
address the topic of female puberty?
Here are quotes from several college level text books, and the World
Book Encyclopedia. There is a great deal
of info presented, but it is necessary to provide scientific details to fully
understand puberty.
From
"Adolescence", by
L. Steinberg, pub. by McGraw Hill, 1993.
page 22: "Puberty
derives from the Latin word "pubertas", which means
"adult". Technically, the
term refers to the period during which an individual becomes capable of sexual
reproduction, that is, it denotes the series of biological changes
leading up to reproductive capability. More broadly speaking, however, puberty
is used as a collective term to refer to all the physical changes that occur in
the growing girl or boy as the individual passes from childhood into
adulthood."
page 23: "Puberty
may appear to be rather sudden, judging from its external signs, but in fact it
is part of a gradual process that begins at conception. (Petersen and Taylor, 1980). You may be surprised to learn that no new
hormones are produced and no new bodily systems develop at puberty. Rather, some hormones that have been present
since before birth increase, and other decrease."
page 26: "The effects of the
endocrinological changes of puberty on the adolescent's body are
remarkable. Consider the dramatic
changes in physical appearance that occur during the short span of early
adolescence. One enters puberty looking like a child and within FOUR years or so has
the physical appearance of a young adult."
page 32: [This page shows a chart depicting
that puberty lasts about 4 years in girls].
"Generally,
full reproduction function does not occur until several years after menarche,
and regular ovulation follows menarche by about two years (Hafetz, 1976)....
The onset of puberty can occur as
early as 8 years in girls and 9.5 in boys, or as late as 13 in girls and 13.5
in boys. In
girls, the interval between the first sign of puberty and complete physical
maturation can be as short as one and one-half years or as long as six years....In
more concrete terms, it is possible for an early-maturing, fast-maturing
youngster to complete pubertal maturation by the age of 10 or 11 - two years
before a late-maturing youngster has even begun puberty."
page 36 -
37: "(Although menarche does not
signal the onset of puberty....) .....the average age at menarche generally is
lower in those countries where individuals are less likely to be malnourished
or suffer from chronic disease. For
example, in western Europe and in the United States, the median menarcheal age
ranges from about 12.5 years to 13.5 years.
In Africa, however, the median menarcheal age ranges from 14 years to 17
years."
page 66: [There is a table depicting the four
stages of cognitive development according to Piaget. It shows that the brain develops mature cognitive ability after
age 11].
page 73: [On page 73 he presents a table
showing that the brain is not fully mature until about the age of 16. From this table, I estimate that at age 9,
the maturation of the brain is between 50 to 60%.].
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From "Adolescent Life
Experiences", by
G. Adams and T. Gullotta, pub. by Brooks / Cole, 1983:
page 89: "The onset of puberty is not a
single, sudden event but a complex, gradual process. In perhaps oversimplified terms, puberty is characterized by (1)
a spurt in physical growth, (2) maturation of physiological mechanisms, and (3)
the appearance of secondary sex characteristics (for example, pubic hair or
breast development). The onset of
puberty is basically regulated by endocrine glands, important organs that
create body changes through the secretion of chemicals into the bloodstream or
lymphatic system.
page 92: "Although changes in height and
breadth are important in adolescent development, society is more inclined to
recognize the rapid maturation of the reproductive system during this period
(D. D. Logan, Calder, & Cohen, 1980).
The major stages in sexual maturation are (1) the initiation of puberty,
which occurs approximately six months earlier in girls than in boys, 92) the
development of secondary sex characteristics, which takes approximately four
years; and (3) menarche, which occurs approximately two years after the onset
of pubertal change (Marshall & Tanner, 1969, 1970).
page 101: "DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
When the gonads become
sexually mature and active before age 8 in girls or before age 9 in boys,
pediatricians are inclined to diagnose "precocious puberty". When this condition occurs, the pubertal
process is generally complete within two years."
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FROM
"ADOLESCENCE - TRANSITION FROM CHILDHOOD TO MATURITY", by Lambert, Rothschild, Altland,
& Green, pub. by Brooks / Cole, 1978:
page 106: "The process of physical
development that results in the end of childhood and the beginning of
adolescence involves three overlapping stages:
Prepuberty, pubescence, and puberty.
Although this sequence is the same for all individuals, the times of
onset and the lengths of these periods differ from one person to another
(Thornburg, 1975).
Prepuberty begins at the end of
childhood with a rapid rise in hormone levels... It is also a period in which a
rapid growth spurt begins and the secondary sex characteristics, such as the
budding of the breast in girls and the enlargement of the testes and penis in
boys, start to develop. Generally,
girls experience theses changes two years before boys; the average age of onset
of this stage is 10 for females, 12 for males (Tanner, 1975).
Pubescence, the second stage, is
characterized by the proliferation of sex cells and near completion of the secondary
sex characteristics (Thornburg, 1975).
Pubescence begins with the menarche, or first menstruation, in
girls.... The appearance of these
characteristics, however, does not necessarily indicate that the reproductive
system is complete. It may be a matter
of months or even years before the body is capable of reproduction.
It is only with the third phase,
puberty, that girls develop regular ovulatory menstrual cycles and the
capability for procreation....This period generally spans about two years for
girls and about three years for boys, ending when all of the secondary sex
characteristics have fully appeared and reproductive ability has been
reached. Most boys are well into
puberty by age 14 (Marshall, 1975), most girls by the age of 15-16."
page 108: "...the gradual decrease in the
average age at which menarche has been occurring among Western European girls
and apparently among girls of the United States and Canada as well (Botstein
& McArthus, 1976)....The fact that research has indicated that this trend
is just as evident among girls in temperate climates as among girls in warm
climates would also tend to destroy the myth that girls mature earlier in warm
climates than in more moderate ones."
page 111: "Abnormal growth and delayed or
precocious puberty are usually associated with disorders in hypothalamic
hormonal changes (Schonberg, 1075; Sizonenko, 1975)."
page 115 -
117: "In girls there
initially appears a budding of the breasts, then the appearance of pubic hair,
then the menarche, and finally ovulation. ...Breast development and pubic hair
first become visible at about 10-11 years of age, whereas the menarche occurs,
on the average, in the range of 11-13 years, or approximately two years after
initial breast development.
Menstruation during pubescence is generally irregular, partly due to
factors of emotion, tension, and nutrition.
Reproductive maturity is usually attained from one to two years after
the first menstruation, with maximum fertility developing in the early 20s
(Lamburg et al., 1973)....
The average age at menarche is 12.5
to 13. However, some normal girls may
begin to menstruate as early as 9, while others may not start until the age of
16 (Offer & Offer, 1968)....
Genital growth is usually not
complete when menstruation begins, and this growth continues slowly for several
more years. The menarche is frequently
followed by a period of sterility, which lasts until a regular ovulatory
menstrual cycle is established. The
duration of this period varies considerable; the first ovulation (the discharge
of the first egg from the ovaries) may occur at menarche, or it may not take
place until years later....
For several months following the
menarche, there is usually a lack of regularity in the extent and timing of the
menstrual flow."
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From "Child Adolescent Development", by J. Brunk,
pub by Wiley, 1975:
page 70: "Precocious puberty is the
extreme opposite of delayed sexual maturation.
In this condition, a girl may develop secondary sexual characteristics
before the age of 8, or a boy before he is 10.
This clearly can produce severe psychological problems for the affected
child."
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AN
EDITOR FROM "PSYCHOLOGY TODAY", states that:
"Most research of which I'm
aware shows that young people reach full intellectual maturity by age 11 or 12,
whether or not they have achieved the physical changes of puberty."
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From the World Book Ency. under "Sex" on page
333 regarding puberty:
"Puberty is the period of rapid
growth that marks the end of childhood and the beginning of physical and sexual
maturity (full development).
From the
World Book Ency. under "Adolescent", page 61:
"Most girls start puberty at
about age 11. Most boys start at about
age 13. Puberty ends when a girl or boy
reaches sexual maturity - that is, becomes capable of reproduction. Most adolescents are sexually mature TWO OR
THREE YEARS AFTER they start puberty."
(Capitals mine).
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WHAT ARE THE
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES TELLING US ABOUT PUBERTY?
To begin with, puberty does not
begin with a girl's menarche. It begins
about a year or two earlier. Islam
missed the mark on this. Islam
considers that puberty and adulthood begin with the menarche.
Further, science teaches that
puberty does not end with menarche. It
takes at least 2 more years for a child to sexually mature. Islam also missed the mark on this end. Science shows that usually the female body
still has a ways to go from the time a girl has her menarche to the time she is
sexually able to reproduce, or is considered to have an adult body.
Science further documents that there
are times when a child may have "precocious puberty" and have
menarche as early as age 8. This is
usually due to a dysfunction or disorder within the child. Aisha may have had precocious puberty. Although it happens, it is very rare that
young children experience menarche at age 9.
Aisha had been very sick prior to her
"marriage" to Muhammad. She
had even lost some of her hair during her illness. Physically, she was having severe problems. Perhaps she was having some type of sickness
that triggered her menarche, or she was experiencing some disorder that also
caused the menarche. Either way, having
menses at age 9 does not signify adulthood and justify marriage and engaging in
sexual activities.
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PUBERTY,
MENARCHE, AND REPRODUCTION
There is a mis-conception that when
a young girl has her first menarche, she is capable of getting pregnant. Many primitive cultures believed that a girl
can become pregnant following menarche; Muhammad's culture probably believed
this as well. However, science tells us
this is very rare. Instead, the average
time for a girl to become pregnant following menarche is one to two years. Clearly then, girls are not
"mature" following their menarche.
There are no biological grounds to marry and engage post-menarcheal
girls in sexual activity; they cannot
conceive children yet. Puberty does not
equal maturity, and therefore this misconception should not lead to marriage.
Logically then, menarche is not a
sign of a female being able to bear children.
Only at the end of puberty can a girl conceive, not at the beginning,
not at the middle. Puberty usually
takes several years to complete.
Muhammad erred in establishing
Islamic grounds allowing men to marry post-menarcheal girls. The girls are not sexually mature, they are
not mentally mature, and they are not physically mature. Muhammad's precedent (Sunnah) is a blight
upon the children of the Muslim world.
DAMAGE
TO YOUNG GIRLS
SCIENCE AND
OTHER EFFECTS OF EARLY SEXUAL ACTIVITY
Besides the documented assessment of
growth and puberty above, other scientific and research groups have
specifically addressed the effects of teen pregnancy. This of course reflects upon Islam, since Muhammad took a child
bride, and taught it was okay for others to do as well. Here are some excerpts from webpages that
address this issue.
from the
American Academy of Pediatrics, at: http://www.aap.org/policy/02325.html
"...Improvements
in prenatal care have resulted in decreases in medical complications among
babies born to teenage mothers, but mothers aged 14 years and younger continue
to experience unacceptably high rates of adverse outcomes. The most significant medical risks for
infants of teenage mothers are likely related to the parental care those
infants receive after the first year of life.
Infants born to younger teenage mothers have a higher rate of mortality
by their second birthday than infants of older adolescents and adults. [3] The incidence of prenatal mortality and low
birth weight increases with subsequent pregnancies in adolescents. [4] The morbidity experienced by the infants of
young mothers is more subtle to define but has been reported to include
increased rates of hospitalization and increased risks of accidents,
poisonings, burns, and superficial injuries. [5]...
...In
several studies the cognitive levels of infants of younger v older mothers have
been compared, and the results indicate lower cognition among the infants of
younger mothers...
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FROM
THE UNITED WAY - MARCH OF DIMES BIRTH DEFECTS FOUNDATION: TEENFACTS
http://babynet.ddwi.com/tlc/pregnancy/teenfact.html
"Health
Risks to the Mother"
"A teenage mother is more at
risk of pregnancy complications such as premature or prolonged labor, anemia
and high blood pressure. These risks
are even greater for teens who are less than 15 years old.(3)"
"Health
Risks to the Baby"
"A baby born to a teenage
mother is more at risk than a baby born to an older mother.
"Nine percent of teenage girls
have low-birthweight babies (under 5.5 lbs.), compared to 7 percent of all
mothers nationally.(1)"
"Low-birthweight babies may
have organs that are not fully developed.
This can lead to lung problems such as respiratory distress syndrome, or
bleeding in the brain."
"Low-birthweight babies are 40
times more likely to die in their first month of life than normal-weight
babies."
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FROM
THE UNITED NATIONS
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu6/2/fs23.htm
NOTE: The webpage I obtained this from was
particularly gruesome to read. Some
sections, that did not pertain to this topic, (like female genital
circumcision, a practice found throughout the Islamic world and taught by one
of the 4 major schools of Islamic theology), I could not finish reading
myself. It was just too gross. Do not read it if you have a weak stomach,
or are disturbed by reports about women being abused. In this paper, I have tried to edit out gruesome details that
were not necessary.
"HARMFUL
TRADITIONAL PRACTICES AFFECTION THE HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN"
"An appraisal of harmful
traditional practices and their effects on women and the girl child.
Traditional cultural practices
reflect values and beliefs held by members of a community for periods often
spanning generations. Every social grouping in the world has specific
traditional cultural practices and beliefs, some of which are beneficial to all
members, while others are harmful to a specific group, such as women. These
harmful traditional practices include female genital mutilation (FGM); forced
feeding of women; early marriage; the various taboos or practices which prevent
women from controlling their own fertility; nutritional taboos and traditional
birth practices; son preference and its implications for the status of the girl
child; female infanticide; early pregnancy; and dowry price. Despite their
harmful nature and their violation of international human rights laws, such
practices persist because they are not questioned and take on an aura of
morality in the eyes of those practicing them....
(NOTE: most of these are practiced by the Islamic
world).
...Child
marriage robs a girl of her childhood-time necessary to develop physically,
emotionally and psychologically. In fact, early marriage inflicts great
emotional stress as the young woman is removed from her parents' home to that
of her husband and in-laws. Her husband, who will invariably be many years her
senior, will have little in common with a young teenager. It is with this
strange man that she has to develop an intimate emotional and physical
relationship. She is obliged to have intercourse, although physically she might
not be fully developed....
...Health
complications that result from early marriage in the Middle East and North
Africa, for example, include the risk of operative delivery, low weight and
malnutrition resulting from frequent pregnancies and lactation in the period of
life when the young mothers are themselves still growing....
The work of the Committee has also
permitted the identification of certain areas where law reform should be
undertaken, in both civil and penal areas, such as the minimum age for marriage
and establishment of the age of criminal responsibility as being the attainment
of puberty. Some States have argued that girls attain their physical maturity
earlier, but it is the view of the Committee that maturity cannot simply be
identified with physical development when social and mental development are
lacking and that, on the basis of such criteria, girls are considered adults
before the law upon marriage, thus being deprived of the comprehensive
protection ensured by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The
International Conference on Population and Development, held at Cairo in
September 1994 (see p. 36 below), encouraged Governments to raise the minimum
age for marriage. In her preliminary report to the Commission on Human Rights,
the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences,
Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, also recognized that the age of marriage was a factor
contributing to the violation of women's rights ...
Early pregnancy can have harmful
consequences for both young mothers and their babies. According to UNICEF, no
girl should become pregnant before the age of 18 because she is not yet
physically ready to bear children.
Babies of mothers younger than 18 tend to be born premature and have low
body weight; such babies are more likely to die in the first year of life. The risk to the young mother's own health is
also greater. Poor health is common among indigent pregnant and lactating
women. ...
An additional health risk to young
mothers is obstructed labor, which occurs when the baby's head is too big for
the orifice of the mother. This provokes vesicovaginal fistulas, especially
when an untrained traditional birth attendant forces the baby's head out
unduly....
Generally throughout the developing
world, the average food intake of pregnant and lactating mothers is far below
that of the average male. Cultural practices, including nutritional taboos,
ensure that pregnant women are deprived of essential nutriments, and as a
result they tend to suffer from iron and protein deficiencies...."
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So not only does science teach us
that young girls are not mature just because they have had first menarche, but
science teaches us that teen, or worse yet, pre-teenage girls should not be
bearing children. Their bodies are not
ready for it. These type of pregnancies
are frequently harmful both to the mother and the child.
However, Islam does not take into
account the child's or mother's health.
Because it was part of Muhammad's "sunnah", (lifestyle), and
because early marriage of girls is permitted in Islam, (following menarche), it
cannot change it's position on this issue.
Consequently, this type of abuse occurs throughout the Islamic
world. If anyone wants to see just how
bad child abuse is in the Islamic world, read the above webpage posted by the
United Nations. Most of the barbaric
cultural practices listed there are generally practiced in the Islamic world.
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MORE
PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO YOUNG GIRLS
Modern medicine teaches that a
female's body is not fully developed at age 9.
Sexual intercourse at that age could damage a female's sexual
organs. For instance, at the age of 9
years old, the cervix of the female is yet undeveloped, as are many of the
child's sexual organs. Further,
intercourse at this age leads to an 80% increased risk in her developing
cervical cancer later in life.
In the book "One River",
by Wade Davis, page 228, (Simon & Schuster), Davis documents how when young
girls are subjected to intercourse with an adult male, their hips get damaged,
because their bones are not fully formed:
"These were Loayza's
concubines, Indian children who grew into adolescence physically deformed,
their hips weak and permanently dislocated from intercourse."
I am not saying that Aisha had deformed
hips, or that Muhammad brutalized her.
I am saying that just because a girl has her 1st menstrual cycle doesn't
mean she qualifies as an adult. There
are other factors that need to be considered.
Islam however, fails to consider these factors.
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