http://www.arabnews.com/?page=13§ion=0&article=119260&d=16&m=2&y=2009&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Local%20Press
Monday 16 February 2009 (21 Safar 1430)
Raise awareness to stop underage marriages
Rasheed Albidhani | Okaz
The Human Rights Commission (HRC) has recommended to the Kingdom's higher
authorities that orders be issued to stop marriage of young girls. The HRC
proposed making 15 the minimum age at which girls could marry.
The deputy chairman of the commission, Dr. Saleh Al-Kathlan, said the HRC
made the recommendation after following up many cases in the media, courts and
society concerning parents marrying their very young daughters.
It is worth mentioning that a number of cases relating to underage
marriages have been brought to courts in recent times. We have also witnessed
family disputes over the issue, especially in Hail, Jizan, Asir and Taif.
I believe it to be correct that there is no clear-cut Shariah rule
setting a certain age for a girl's marriage. We cannot, of course, find
justification in the marriages of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to
legalize this issue because some of his marriages were necessitated for
political and religious reasons.
It seems that specifying a minimum age for marriage is a question of
tradition and social needs rather than religious teachings.
No doubt, it is Allah's mercy that He did not impose on us an age limit
for marriage. He has left it open for us to decide.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Saudi Arabia signed in
1995 and endorsed the next year, defines a child as anyone under the age of 18.
This age was set in the light of studies conducted by specialists in biology
and psychology and is not at all contradictory to the principles of Shariah.
This definition means that if we marry our daughters when they are
younger than 18, we are actually marrying children. This is a sin. When we
marry a young girl to a very old man, this is a bigger sin.
When we think of marrying our daughters, we have to consider everything
that would make them happy, including the suitability of the age of the man.
We want to see our daughters highly educated in order to participate in
the process of nation building. We want to have women doctors, teachers, nurses
and others. Advanced studies need complete dedication. Some girls will not be
able to meet the requirements of both study and marriage at the same time. So
one of the two might be doomed to failure. If this is so for mature girls, what
would be the case of children?
Marrying girls under the age of 18 means we are actually marrying
children who are not physically or emotionally ready for marriage. The end
result will be victimizing the girls and ruining their married life.
To resolve this problem we need to spread awareness in society so that we
do not marry girls who are not mature enough for conjugal union. We can make
laws that will stop parents trading their daughters for money or to settle
their debts while the little girls will only suffer in agony and misery.
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