Morning Star

The price of a young girl

On the market seems to be the equivalent of about $140, and of course marriage is legal under shari'a law at the age of nine:

At various forums on Internet, Arab men are seeking Syrian girls for marriage, and the requests are rife. According to commentators, not a single imam or religious scholar has renounced the abuse. On the contrary.

There is nothing wrong with such marriages if men can afford to pay, said the Libyan imam, Sheik Ashraf al-Aqrabi.

God's Law vs. Man's Law

There are numerous accounts on this blog of the horrors of child marriages, and this article recounts some of the most visible:

Dubai: Two little girls aged eight and nine celebrated last year a Sana’a court ruling that allowed them to annul their marriages.

A third young girl in the second grade was about to marry a man in his thirties when the civil society groups intervened and stopped the wedding a few months ago in the southern part of the country. Unconfirmed reports said an 8-year-old Yemen girl died after being married to a man in his forties.

Unfortunately, most tragedies have neither ink spilled nor outraged onlookers:

Child marriages are rampant in Yemen. A study revealed that the bridal age in more than half of the finalised marriages in Yemen was under the age of 15. According to the study conducted by Sana’a University, only 7 per cent of “husbands” were under the age of 18.

It also added that nearly 65 per cent of females are married “underage,” while that number rises to 70 per cent in rural areas.

Fighting local custom with legislation is notoriously hard, and fighting Allah is impossible.

There is nothing in sharee‘ah to stipulate a particular age of marriage for the man or woman. The scholars are unanimously agreed that marriage of a minor girl is permissible if her father gives her in marriage to someone who is compatible. 

The Qur'an and Sunnah indicate that marriage of a minor [a female who has not yet reached puberty] is valid, and no particular age is stipulated for that. 

Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If a man gives his virgin daughter in marriage to someone who is compatible, then the marriage is valid. … With regard to a virgin who is a minor, there is no difference of scholarly opinion concerning that. Ibn al-Mundhir said: All the scholars from whom we acquired knowledge are unanimously agreed that it is permissible for a father to give his minor daughter in marriage, provided that he offer her in marriage to someone who is compatible, even if she objects and refuses. The fact that it is permissible to give a minor girl in marriage is indicated by the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “And those of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the Iddah (prescribed period), if you have doubts (about their periods), is three months, and for those who have no courses ((i.e. they are still immature)…” [at-Talaaq 65:4]. So the ‘iddah for one who has not started to menstruate is three months, and the ‘iddah of three months can only be required in the case of talaaq (divorce) or annulment of marriage. This indicates that (the girl who is a minor) may be married and divorced, and her consent is not essential. 

‘Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) married me when I was six years old and consummated the marriage with me when I was nine. Agreed upon. It is known that at that age she would not be one of those whose permission would be taken into account. 

If this is how religion is revealed, then no laws can be accepted as authoritative by devout Muslims:

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said, commenting on the minimum legal age for marriage in some countries:  Praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed 

The newspaper ar-Riyadh (issue no. 4974) published a report entitled “Family Law proposal in the Emirates”, in which it stated that the proposal is based on Islamic sharee‘ah. In the article it says: “With regard to marriage contracts, the law states that the boy should be no younger than eighteen years and the girl should be no younger than sixteen, and a penalty of no less than one thousand dirhams and no more than five thousand is to be imposed on anyone who goes against this law, so long as the court has not decided otherwise in cases where preservation of honour and dignity is sought. It is also not permitted for anyone who have passed the age of sixty years to marry the without the permission of the court, especially if the age difference between the two parties is greater than half the age of the older of the two.” 

Because this is contrary to what Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has prescribed, I would like to point out the truth. There is no upper or lower limit on the age for marriage; this is indicated by the Qur'an and Sunnah. 

For a comparison, imagine how practicing Catholics see laws concerning abortion -- we don't find them compelling,  nor are we able to change our minds about the morality of the action. We protest, educate, and act according to the principles revealed by God. That would explain the difficulty in legislating minimum marriage ages in Muslim communities -- secular laws are simply ignored by those who prioritise divine imperatives. 

Al Qaeda's advance signals women's decline

The mayhem in the countries we know as Iraq and Syria is growing, and the sweeping reforms by the surging Islamic fundamentalists are especially degrading to women. The minute rules include the following:

• Women are banned from sitting on chairs (as reported verbatim).
• All women are obligated to wear Islamic attire, such as the niqab and burqa (which cover the entire body and face); sweaters, jeans, and makeup of any kind are strictly banned.
• Female clothing is not to be displayed in shop windows, and only women are allowed to work there; if a man is found on the grounds the shop faces closure.
• Women are banned from seeing male gynecologists.

While others may dispute this "interpretation" of Islam, it has a long history flowing from both the actions of Muhammed and the traditions codified in Reliance of the Traveller. These religions prescriptions take concrete form in decrees such as this, showing that even the burkha cannot guarantee safety:

Sheikh Abd al-Rahman Ali al-Dala, aid to the chief mufti of Syria, who is loyal to President Bashar Assad, gave aninterview to Sham FM, a radio station that supports Assad. In the interview, Al-Dala said Syrian army soldiers have permission to "marry" unmarried and married women, sisters and mothers of the rebel fighters, without any official marriage agreement. He clarified that the rape is intended as a punishment for not reporting the rebels to the goverment forces.

In making his statement, the Sheikh placed his religious authority behind the rape of women and girls by soldiers, as part of their fight against the rebels. According to testimony taken from captured soldiers and captains before they were put to death by rebels, rape has been employed as a common practice by the army, well before Al-Dala's official religious support was stated.

While particularly attractive women are reportedly brought to senior commanders, rape victims include religious muslim women dressed in face veils and full-body cloaks (niqab). It must be noted that for their part, the rebels have publicized religious permission for their fighters to do as they please with women who fall into their hands. Rebels from Al Qaeda have also apparently have been forcing Syrian Druze communities to convert to Islam.

A study in November found that Syria was the fourth worst country in the Arab world in terms of women's rights. Egypt was found to be the worst.

With ubiquitous dangers for women, Raymond Ibrahim summarises the impact:

All this is a reminder that, while the Islamic jihad may lead to brief, spectacular forms of terror—massacres, beheadings, rapes, bombed churches—its aftermath and goal, purportedly the creation of a “perfect Islamic society,” is “spectacular” in its own way, especially for women, who become virtually invisible members of society.

Naturally, who would set foot in the street under these conditions, or allow a wife or daughter out of the home?

Twelve Nuns Kidnapped

The women are Greek Orthodox sisters  who were living in the Mar Thecla Monastery:

Vatican envoy to Syria, Mario Zenari, said on Tuesday that 12 nuns including the convent’s mother superior had been taken from Maaloula to the rebel held town of Yabroud, some 20 km away. “They forced the sisters to evacuate and to follow them towards Yabroud,” Zenari told Reuters from Damascus by telephone, adding that he did not know for what purposes it had been done.

Zenari also said that the nuns were among the last residents remaining in Maaloula after most had fled south to Damascus.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry sent letters to the head of the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary General urging the international community to condemn the rebel attack on Maaloula and the convent, and to put pressure on the countries supporting the rebels.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, John X urged the international community on Tuesday to speak up in defense of Syria’s Christians.

Contact has been made with the superior, Pelagia Sayaf, who said they have been placed in a home in Yabrud, 80km north of Damascus. There has already been a systematic destruction of Christian homes, churches, and towns leading to the almost complete evacuation of such regions--some being the oldest  historical Christian communities. Most likely, the primary aim is not to harm the women, but to faciliate the total annihilation of their monastery. Utter tragedy--prayers for these stalwart sisters and all who are displaced and grieving.

UPDATE: the local Chaldean prelate, Bishop Antoine Auto of Aleppo, says that only five women have been abducted, the mother superior and four others. 

Most media reports on the kidnapping, including by the government’s Sana news agency, speculated the kidnapping was the work of the Al Nusra Front, which the US State Department defines as a terrorist organisation linked to al-Qaida. Early reports said 12 nuns were kidnapped.

Bishop Audo told Vatican Radio, “Maaloula is an important symbol not only for Christians, but also for Muslims in Syria and throughout the Middle East, because it is known that people there still speak the Aramaic dialect, the language of Christ. That is one of the reason people are so struck” by the kidnapping of the sisters and the rebels’ capturing the town in early December.

The women took care of local orphans amidst their other duties. We must remember that they are not the only hostages at this time:

The nuns are the latest Christian clergy members to be abducted. Two bishops were seized in rebel-held areas in April, and an Italian Jesuit priest, Father Paolo Dall'Oglio, went missing in July after traveling to meet militants in Raqqa. None has been heard from since.

Sexual Jihad

While not all Muslims are in agreement about the liceity of sexual jihad, there are ample religious texts that justify it in the name of Allah. 

Recorded in Sahih Bukhari—for most Sunni Muslims, the second textual authority after the Koran itself—is an anecdote of one Muslim giving another Muslim one of his wives for sexual purposes.  The story is as follows: When some of Muhammad’s followers from Mecca migrated to Medina, a complaint was raised that the people of Medina had better profited from following Muhammad than his original Meccan followers who had suffered more deprivations.  In this context, Muhammad paired up the Meccan Abdul Rahman bin Awf with the Medinan Sa‘ad bin Rabi‘a, for the latter to share some of his possessions with the former. So Rabi‘a offered to Rahman half of all his possessions, adding “Look at my two wives, and whichever of them you desire, I will divorce her so you can have her” (Sahih Bukhari: 118, 1943).

Based on this, divorcing one’s wife for the use of another Muslim became acceptable—indeed, laudable and generous behavior.  Sahih Bukhari has an entire chapter (bab) on the jurisprudence of this practice. Nor should it be forgotten that, recorded in the Koran itself, one man divorced his wife and gave her to Muhammad simply because the prophet desired her.

The video at that link is well worth watching, painful as it is, because whether or not Muslims agree with the concept, they all seem to have the same basic assumptions:

• marriage is primarily for male sexual pleasure;
• the children conceived are irrelevant (abortion and contraception are allowed);
• marriage is temporary if the man deems it so;
• wives may be shared;
• wives may share their husband;
• age is no constraint if the man deems it so;
• women have an obligation to obey men, regardless of their conscience;
• a woman's full and free consent is secondary to a union;
• women are seen in an entirely utilitarian way;
• words have power.

The last point is essential: hurling "Allahu Akbar" will confer a marriage, clear the path for sexual intimacy, change a relationship, or otherwise establish a boundary. It is like a talisman for some--even those who would not engage in promiscuity or prostitution fear its use, because the words themselves hold a power over them. 

Whether or not modern-day "reformed" Muslims subscribe to such an approach to marriage, no one can deny the example of the prophet, the illustrations in the ahadith, or the historical evidence supporting such behaviour. None of this benefits women, children, or societies--all of which depend on lasting bonds of charity and paternal care. Mut'a offers no such thing even though much of the Muslim world accepts it. 

Today's martyrs, timeless courage

The account below refers to the testimony of a woman who was severely injured herself, and who witnessed the martydom of her loved ones. [The picture above is a neighbour.]

Christians of Syria call Ma'loula "a land of Martyrs" after this small Christian town was several times attacked by various armed groups.

The Vatican news agency Fides has made an attempt to reconstruct the course of events that led to the killing of three Christians in Ma'loula, with the help of a woman-eyewitness, whose name is concealed for security reasons. At the present time this woman is undergoing medical treatment in one of the hospitals of the Syrian capital.

According to her, on September 7, a group of individuals belonging to the armed groups that had entered the town, burst into homes of the civilian population, intimidating their residents and vandalizing their domestic sacred objects. The woman has told how the militants burst into the house where she was staying together with her relatives: Michael Taalyab, his cousin Anton Taalyab, and his grandson, Sarkis Al-Zajim. The extremists said to those present that they would be forced to accept Islam, at which Sarkis answered: "I am a Christian, and if you want to kill me for this, I do not object to it!" After this the islamists cold-bloodedly killed the young man together with two other men and inflicted several injuries upon the woman. The injured woman was eventually evacuated to Damascus for treatment.

Sister Carmel, who helps with transportation of refugees from Ma'loula to Damascus, noted in the interview with Agenzia Fides that Sarkis "Is a Martyr in Christ in the full sense of this word, since he was murdered solely because of religious hatred!"

Sarkis, our brother in faith, intercede for your compatriots! And we pray for the recovery and well-being of this woman. Imagine her suffering.

Another assault on the Bride of Christ (II)

The latest tragedy was in Aleppo, Syria, where Armenian Christians had gathered to evade growing persecutions. On Monday (29Oct12) their church was torched and a group of Christians are now missing:

Speaking to the online paper, the spokesman [of the local Armenian prelacy], Zhirayr Reisian, confirmed that the church had become a target of rebels and that it had almost been reduced to ashes. Reisian also said that the Mesrobian Armenian school adjacent to the church has been seriously damaged, too.

Later Reisian told state-run agency Armenpress that a group of 10 Christians, including seven Armenians, was kidnapped near Aleppo.

Prayers for our brothers and sisters in Christ -- may they be returned quickly and safely. [This follows closely on the heels of another Muslim attack on a Christian church in Nigeria.]

A light in Syria

 

A little more about this extraordinary woman, Mother Agnès Mariam of the Cross:

When I was 13-14 years old I rebelled. I have somewhat of an extreme character and my rebellion led me to break with society. It was 1967: all the hippies – the Flower Power movement – were coming to Beirut because Lebanon had the best cannabis. I loved the hippies, they were free, original, and wore special clothing. One year later I joined them and the year after that I followed them to wander the earth. I crossed all of Europe, staying a long time in Amsterdam and in Denmark which were the hippie-capitals. During my journeys I had several conversion experiences.

One time I was in Amsterdam, after having travelled through all of Europe, India and Nepal, and I was telling myself: “I have lived everything, I have tried everything and nothing has made me happy. My life is a fiasco, it is better for me to die.” At that very moment of utter darkness and misery the Lord revealed to me the mystery of the human being, created after His image and likeness. I felt, at that moment, like a great light visiting me in my darkness. Being in the greatest misery, suddenly I found myself in the glory of God, I saw myself just like God sees me, in the original beauty, after the plan of the Creator.

Clearly, God will not want any of his lost sheep to perish, just as Our Lord promised here:

What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that any one of these little ones be lost (Matthew 18:12-14).

Please look around the site of this community, the Monastery of Saint James the Mutilated*, founded by Mother Agnès Mariam and two other women in 1994.

For a more realistic explanation of what is happening in Syria under the aegis of the "Arab Spring," please read the account linked from this page.

And pray for these dear brothers and sisters in Christ!

* appears to be a Persian Christian, martyred by dismemberment in the 4th century under the rule of King Shapur II.