4-yr-old Pakistani girl marries 45-yr-old
The minor, Sumaira, was given in marriage to the middle-aged man, Mahboob Ahmed, as a punishment because the girl’s maternal uncle, Mohammad Farooq, had eloped with the adult niece of the bridegroom, police said.She is just a piece of property, like a slave, to her own "family."
The punchayat imposed a fine of 150,000 rupees (2,500 dollars) on Farooq and ordered him to give a young girl from his family to Mahboob, police spokesman Malik Ramazan told AFP.
The bizarre marriage took place last month on the orders of a Punchayat or tribal council in northwestern Dera Ismail Khan town but police acted only last week after rights activist raised the alarm.
It is a sick and twisted "culture."
Of course, there are attempts to insert doubt over the reported age (6) of Aisha at marriage, but they are all indirect arguments, and the bottom line is the respected and authoritative verses are clear:
A significant majority of Muslims respect the authority of the hadith, the source of much Islamic law (sharia) and therefore accept the hadith collected by Bukhari which quote Aisha as saying that she was nine years old when her marriage was consummated.And the proof is in the pudding, isn't it?
The fact is, their belief in that leads them to continue the practice, so the arguments that someone from the far past can't be judged on today's standards flounders completely, since it is taken as an example to follow to this very day!
Can't have it both ways.
So what are we to think of people (i.e. all non-apostate muslims) who, today, knowing the life of mohammed, do not reject him as an evil man, but actually live their lives dedicated to following his teachings and examples?
How is that excused?
