The raping of young girls in sham unions, sanctioned by Mohamed himself.
Child brides pre-dates Islam, but it was embraced by Islam’s founder, not repudiated, and stays with it till this day, even to the point of being fiercely defended. It’s the same with other forms of misogyny (which includes FGM, patriarchy etc.), slavery, intolerance and outright cruelty.
Islam encapsulated the worst forms of human expression, and used it to not only advance its cause, but to victimize its own, as well as offering pleasure and privilege at another’s expense.
New focus on child brides in Turkey
A new movie,“Halam Geldi” (“My Aunt Came”), addresses child brides in Turkey. (photo by Screenshot from onedio.com)
A majority of analysts predict a tough and tense immediate future for Turkey in 2014. In such an environment, it might seem necessary to momentarily put aside seemingly less pressing matters. Yet, watching the Turkish film “My Aunt Came” (“Halam Geldi” in Turkish, directed by Erhan Kozan), released on Jan. 3, served as a sober reminder that there can never be a bad time to continue raising awareness about child brides — one of Turkey’s deepest bleeding wounds.
Child marriage is defined as a formal marriage or informal union before age 18, and the impacts, primarily for girls, are disastrous. The main reasons for child brides are poverty, lack of education, religious belief, perceptions of gender roles in society, insufficient laws or belief that a girl is safer once married.
