A 13-year-old child bride bled to death after her forced marriage was consummated. Her name was Ilham Mahdi al Assi. Her husband was is his 20s. The wounds were horrific…
A medical report by the hospital where she was treated said she had suffered a tear to her genitals and severe bleeding after intercourse, the group said.
Yemen recently tried to pass a law forbidding child brides. Some women even marched in supported of it. Yet Islamic parties mobilized enough of an effort to convince politicians to hold up its implementation.
On Monday a group of Islamic clerics issued a decree condemning the law, and said its supporters were apostates.
Some of the signatories of the decree were lawmakers sitting on the committee charged with amending the law, it was reported.
The speaker of parliament, Yehya al-Raei, said it was possible that the law would be changed to maintain the age limit, but punishments for breaking the law including prison sentences and fines would be cancelled.
In many civilized countries murdering a 13-year-old girl with your penis is a crime punishable by a long prison sentence. Not so in Yemen where followers of Mohammed see nothing wrong with forced child marriage. They point to Mohammed as justification. The Prophet had a child bride named Aisha who was just 6-years-old at the time of her marriage. Mohamed waited until she was nine to consummate the marriage.
Is this right? Should we cut Yemen a break because their brand of pedophilia is tied to a religion? Or should we call this cowardly act what it is, child rape in the name of religion? I vote for the latter.
