coffindodger

This i do find rather shocking.

The girl told the court that her marriage to the man was done with her agreement.
A 12-year-old Saudi girl has dropped her petition to divorce an 80-year-old man her father forced to marry in exchange for a dowry, according to media reports on Tuesday.

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-...ports-1.577395

The Dean

Buraidah? One of the most fundamentalist of Saudi cities, where you are lierally forced to pray five times a day........ I suspect the little angel was 'encouraged' to drop her petition.

seven seas

Even other Saudis are embarassed

coffindodger

The child's mother had earlier filed for divorce on her daughter's behalf but withdrew, without giving a reason, after a second court hearing in early February, according to lawyer Sultan bin Zahim.

Saudi's Human Rights Commission is now filing for divorce on behalf of the child.

Zahim said: "(HRC) became involved in this case as a public rights issue that concerns the Saudi community... this case is still valid even after the mother withdrew."

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Wor...egal_Test_Case

Man Above The Law

The Dean I worked in Buraidah for 3 years and unlike Jeddah - where most of citizens are not originally Saudi that is why it is kind of open - "Buraidans" are from 2 or 3 tribes (and yes you feel like you are not in a city but a town) but no one was forced to pray (in fact every Muslim have to pray 5 times a day but people have options ).

And come on guys girls marry when they are 9 years old in India and Sub Saharan countries (which is not Muslim countries). I totally disagree with 12 years old girl marrying 80 years old but I believe it has nothing to do with religion but traditional. And one other thing we can't decide at what age girls can marry (at some countries 15 years old girl is big enough to marry I mean physically and mentally and in other culture or countries she still a baby).

coffindodger in South Carolina (US), it was legal for 12-year-old girls to marry till 1997, they raised the age for girls to 14.
South Carolina wasn't the only state allowing children to marry at age 12. It was legal in North Carolina, which increased the age to 14 in 2001. In Kansas, in the absence of legislative action, the state Supreme Court set the legal marriage age at 12 for girls and 14 for boys. New Hampshire still allows girls to marry at 13 and boys to marry at 14, though it also allows parents or guardians of married minors to petition for annulment.

http://www.nospank.net/boysandgirls.htm

SO IT IS NOT ONLY SAUDI ARABIA

Aikman7981

Southern US may be a fairly ignorant part of the world, but it cannot be compared to KSA.

Marriages are not arrainged or forced and 12 year olds are not sold away for dowrys.

I'm sure India, Sub Saharan Africa etc etc have equally heinous practices, but are they Saudi Arabia's peer group? I'll let this one go if we can all agree that KSA is no better than the Congo.

coffindodger

My point being that i think and this is my thoughts only that any young girl under the age of 16 isnt ready for a marriage.
Her body and also her mind at that age !!(12 years old )
she is too young, to enter in wed lock.
She should be enjoying her teenage years.
Yes in certain cases world wide young girls are getting pregnant, and having children but this is few and far between.
This is happening far to often, that young girls are taken away and a small amount of money is paid to her parents as a dowry.
In certain parts of the world not just as its been already said here in saudi.

Man Above The Law

Aikman who said southern US (North Carolina & South Carolina are in the East Coast , New Hampshire is located in the North eastern and Kensas is located in the Central of America )
so as you see none of the above states are Southern : http://store.mapsofworld.com/index.h...mageType=cover

Aikman what's wrong with the arranged marriages as long as it is with bride consent (according to islamic law) ...

and as far as I know girls are not forced to marry in KSA (how come they are forced whereas their permission is needed for marriage to be legal !!!)

Sold away for dowrys!!! (you reminded me the days when our british fellows used to sell blacks and the whole money goes to our fellows' pockets not to the blacks whereas in KSA the so called dowrys goes to the bride's pockets)
so I am just wondering who is selling who??!!!!
and what is the benefit that the girl's father will gain if he sells his daugther for dowry he can't get a penny of it???!!!!!!!!!!

how about if we all agree that US is no better than Congo?