LET'S PREVENT HARM IN ISLAM!: FORCED CHILD MARRIAGE, RAPE OF GIRLS, AND CLITORAL MUTILATION

1. FORCED CHILD MARRIAGE AND CONSEQUENT RAPE

UNICEF and other organizations have conducted studies on the percentages of girls married before the age of 18 by country. Of the top 8 countries in the ranking, 6 are majority Muslim:

1. Niger: 76% of girls are married before the age of 18.
2. Central African Republic: 68%.
3. Chad: 67%.
4. Bangladesh: 59%.
5. Mali: 52%.
6. South Sudan: 52%.
7. Burkina Faso: 52%.
8. Guinea: 51%.

Of the states whose laws allow child marriage (even for girls aged 8 or younger), as there is no legal age limit for marriage, almost all are Muslim, such as Saudi Arabia, Libya, or Mauritania. In some, it is possible with a judge’s consent, such as Syria or Iran, and in others from puberty (usually from 9–10 years old), such as Yemen and Somalia. All of them are Muslim.

Many of these marriages are forced. They even take place in the West. For example, according to a British government study, in the United Kingdom, the majority of forced marriages occur within the Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities.

The UN considers child marriage a violation of human rights and aims to eradicate it by 2030. A girl is especially vulnerable to spousal abuse and childhood pregnancy, which puts her health and her future in great danger. Organizations such as UNICEF warn about the medical risks of vaginal sexual relations with very young girls and adolescents, including their hips being too narrow to give birth safely and the risk of fistula—that is, the tearing of the wall between the vagina and the anus.

Furthermore, child marriage is regarded as a form of modern slavery by organizations dedicated to combating this scourge, as victims are bound for life to their husbands and are often subjected to violence if they do not comply.

Read LET’S LIVE WITHOUT HARM! Let’s stand up against modern slavery

What does the Quran say about all this?:

Quran 65:4

“And for those of your women who have ceased menstruating, if you have any doubt, their waiting period shall be three months. And the same for those who have not yet menstruated.”

This verse refers to the waiting period (`iddah`) that women must observe after divorce before they can marry again. The mention of girls who have not yet menstruated has sparked interpretations and debates, as it is considered an indication that prepubescent girls may be subject to marriage and, therefore, also to divorce.

On the other hand, numerous Hadiths (biographies containing the sayings and deeds of Muhammad, which constitute the second pillar of traditional Islam) narrate that Muhammad married Aisha when she was 6 or 7 years old and consummated it (intercourse with penetration) when she was 9 or 10, while Muhammad was 53 years old. Some of those texts are as follows:

Sahih Bukhari 5:58:236:

“Khadija died three years before the Prophet departed for Medina. He stayed there for approximately two years and then married ‘Aisha when she was a six-year-old girl, and consummated that marriage when she was nine years old.”

Sahih Bukhari 7:62:65:

“Narrated `Aisha: that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and consummated his marriage when she was nine years old. Hisham said: I was informed that ‘Aisha remained with the Prophet for nine years (i.e., until his death).”

Sahih Muslim, 1422:

“The Messenger of God (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) engaged in marriage with me when I was 6 years old, and consummated the marriage with me when I was 9.”

Sahih Muslim 8:3310-3311:

“’A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) married her when she was seven years old, and she was taken to his house as a bride when she was nine years old, and her dolls went with her; and when he (the Holy Prophet) died, she was eighteen years old.”

Other Hadiths include Al-Bukhari, 3894, Sahih Bukhari 8:73:151, and Sahih Bukhari 5:58:234.

There are even classical scholars who speak of the possibility of performing intercourse with girls as long as it does not involve al-ifḍāʾ (rupture of the wall between the vagina and the anus).

Regarding forced marriage, some schools of jurisprudence consider it permissible for virgins or those who have not reached puberty.

2. CLITORAL ABLATION

The Quran says nothing on this subject, but there are Hadiths indicating that the prophet tacitly approved of this practice (Sahih Muslim 3:684), prescribed circumcision in general (Sahih Bukhari 7:72:777), and commented generically on its implementation (Sunan Abu Dawud 41:5251).

For example, the Hadith Umdat al-Salik, Section e4.3 on Circumcision, establishes that it is obligatory for every man and woman. And in this, one must cut the badhar or qat’ al-badhar (بَظْرٌ), which means the clitoris or the prepuce of the clitoris.

For this reason, the Islamic legal tradition has welcomed female genital mutilation with open arms, being obligatory or recommended by the 4 major Islamic schools: obligatory in the Shafi’i and encouraged in the Hanafi, Hanbali, and Maliki.

LET’S ERADICATE ALL THESE ARCHAIC PRACTICES!

Fortunately, there are more and more modernist Muslims who are against all of the above.

Based on a progressive interpretation of the Quran, they argue that these practices violate Islamic principles of justice, dignity, and well-being. They promote education and informed consent in marriage, advocating that girls should have the opportunity to develop fully before marrying. To this end, they mention verses from the Quran such as 4:19:

“O believers! It is not lawful for you to inherit women against their will, nor to pressure them to keep part of what you gave them, unless they commit an evident fault. Treat them with kindness.”

Likewise, they condemn clitoral ablation as a violation of human rights and bodily integrity. In short, they seek to harmonize Islamic values with universal rights, promoting just and equitable societies.

Let’s help them spread their civilized version of Islam. How?

1. By signing to ask all Muslim religious leaders to interpret the Quran in a benign way. Sign…

2. By signing to ask all governments to guarantee the protection and full equality of rights for women. Sign…

3. By signing these other campaigns Sign..

4. By sharing these signature campaigns and this article with as many people as possible. Read more…

5. By convincing the Muslims you know of the desirability of a peaceful, benign, and liberal Islam.

If you remain indifferent, cold, and passive, you are a contributor to these abuses against girls. If you move, even if only a little, you will contribute to achieving a tolerant and cruelty-free Islam that respects them.

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