கடவுள் என்று ஒன்றிருந்தால் ...
வேற்று மதங்கள் மக்கள் மண்ணில் அழ
இல்லங்கள் தோறும் இழவு விழ
வஹீ இறங்கியதென சொல்லி அடி
அது ஏக இறையென கும்மியடி
எங்கு பார்த்தாலும் இரத்த நெடி
மருத்துவ மனையிலும் ஜிகாதி வெடி
கேட்டால் சமத்துவ முகமூடி
இந்த மோசடிக்கும் உண்டு சிங்கியடி
அதற்கு பெயர்தான் மிதக்கும் வெளி
பிலாலும் மால்கமும் கதை உண்டு
சூடானிய அடிமைக்கு எது உண்டு.
வங்க தேச தலித்தோ நிலமிழந்து
ஆனால் எதையும் உணரா எருமைத்தோல்
தோழர் மிதக்கிற வெளிக்குண்டு
பிலாலும் மால்கமும் பிரச்சாரம்
ஆனால் திரைமறைவில் யதார்த்தம்
இடி அமீனுக்கு சௌகரியம்
செய்யும் சவூதிய வகாபியிசம்
பங்களாதேஷில் படுகொலைகள் ஏனோ
உங்கள் காதுகளில் விழலையே
பௌத்தம் குறித்து கூச்சலிட்டாலும்
சிட்டகாங்க் அழுகை கேட்கலையே
பாலஸ்தீனுக்கு கொட்டிய வெங்காய கண்ணீர்
வங்க தலித்துக்கு கிடைக்கலியே
ஏக இறைக்கு மனித இரை
கூட்டிக்கொடுக்கும் மிதக்கும் வெளி
கேட்டால் சமத்துவ சால்ஜாப்பு
ஆனால் அதுவும் கிழிஞ்சு நாளாச்சு
மால்கம் பார்த்த சவூதி நாடகத்தின்
பின்னறை அவலம் காணலையே
சவூதி மன்னன் காரில் பயணித்த
அவருக்கு உண்மை தெரியலையே
அடிமை முறை இன்னும் நிலவும்
சவூதி வகாபி பாங்கொலியாம்
சமத்துவம் சொல்லி அழைக்கிறதாம்
சவூதி செண்ட் மணக்க வரும்
மிதக்கும் வெளிதான் ஏஜெண்டாம்
பாங்கொலி கேட்கும் தேசங்களில்
இனத்தூய்மையின் பெயராலே
நீதிக்கு வழியே இல்லாமல்
அழியும் 'தாழ்ந்த' இனங்களடா
ஆனால் அது குறித்து சிறிதும்
ஆசனவாய் புழு உறுத்தலும் கூட
இல்லாமல் அமைதி காக்கும் அகில உம்மா
கொன்றவனுக்காக ஆர்ப்பாட்டம்
எங்கள் நகர வீதிகளில்
வன்முறை குத்தாட்டம்
ஆனால்
செத்த சிறு குர்தீஷ் குழந்தைகளுக்கோ
கிடைத்தது எல்லாம் பெரு மௌனம்
கேட்டால் பிலால் கதை சமத்துவமாம்
விட்டால் ஒசாமா மகாத்மாவாம்
ஆமடா! இங்கு பிரச்சனைகள்
உண்டு உண்டு ஏராளம்.
மனு போட்டு கிடைக்காத தெருக்கள் உண்டு
இங்கு சாதி சண்டையும் கூட உண்டு
ஆனாலும் நீதிக்கு வழி உண்டு
நீதி தடுப்பவன் எவன் என்று
சிறிதே சிந்தித்துப் பார்த்தால்
அடடா நாறுது சவூதி செண்ட்
அங்கே நிற்பான் வகாபி ஏஜெண்ட்டு
திண்ணியத்தில் மலம் தின்ன வைத்த
பன்றியின் கட்சி எந்த கட்சி
மனைவியை தாசி என சொன்ன ஈவேரா
அவனது ஈன வழியே வந்த கட்சி
பீகாரில் தலித்தின் கால் எரித்த
கீழ்த்தரத்தின் கட்சி எந்த கட்சி
கோத்ராவில் எரிந்தது விபத்தென
ஜிகாதிக்கு சொரிந்து விட்டவன்
எவனோ அவன் கட்சி
செத்த நாலு தலித்தின் பிணம்
சத்தமில்லாமல் எரிஞ்சாச்சு
கொன்னவன் ஜிகாதி என தெரிஞ்சால்
தலித் தலைவர் என சொல்பவர்
பேச்சு வெளியே வாராது.
மனுவை குப்பையில் போட்டாச்சு
விவேக ஜோதியை எடுத்தாச்சு
என்றே களத்தில் இறங்கி பணி செய்யும்
நல்லவர் இங்கே பலர் உண்டு
திண்ணியத்தில் மலம் தின்ன வைத்தான்
ஈவேரா வழி வந்த கட்சிகாரன்
ஆனால் எத்தனை எத்தனை கழிவறைகள்
தலித்துகளுக்கு கட்டிய கரங்கள் எமக்குண்டு.
அம்பேத்கருக்கு மனு மேல் என்று பேசும்
மடையன் இங்கில்லை.
இருந்தால் அதட்டி தட்டி வைப்போம்
முட்டிக்கு முட்டி பெயர்த்தெடுப்ப்போம்
சரியில்லாத ஷரியத்தா?
அண்ணல் அம்பேத்கர் சட்டமா?
வெட்டொன்று துண்டிரண்டாய்
சொல்ல வாயும் வக்குமுண்டோ
சொல்ல முடியுமா மிதக்கிற வெளிகளுக்கு
அல்லது வளி விடும் ஓசையும் செல்லாமல்
வார்த்தைகளுக்கு பின் ஒளிவாரா?
கடவுள் என்று ஒன்றிருந்தால்
அது
கடுவாமூர்த்தி விடு வாதையாகவும் இருக்கட்டும்
பூதலம் கண்ட சாத்தனாகவும் இருக்கட்டும்
நடுக்காட்டு எசக்கி அம்மனாகவும் இருக்கட்டும்
பிரம்மமாகவும் இருக்கட்டும்
புனிதப்போர் விளிக்கும் மனித இரத்தவெறி கொண்ட
பாலைவன கற்பனைகள்
எம் சோதரர் விடுதலைக்கு தேவையில்லை.
posted by அரவிந்தன் நீலகண்டன் | 3:32 PM
11 Comments:
ஆறுவயசு பொண்னை கல்யாணம் கட்டி அவளை முக்காடு போட்டு வீட்டுக்குள் உட்கார வைப்பது தான் சரி. இதை ஒத்துக்காட்டி ஜிகாது
மருமகளை மாமனார் கல்யாணம் செய்வது தப்பில்லை. திம்மி பெண்களை கற்பழித்து அடிமையாக்கி வைத்துக் கொள்வது தான் கடவுள் காட்டிய வழி.
போராட்டத்தில் எழுப்பும் கோஷங்கள் போலிருக்கிறது.....கருத்து புரிந்தாலும் இன்னும் கொஞ்சம் கவனித்து வார்த்தைகளை பயன் படுத்தியிருந்தால் அருமையான கவிதையாகியிருக்கும்....
பல விஷயங்களை ஒரே கட்டுரையில் சொல்லியிருக்கிறீர்கள்.
ஒவ்வொன்றையும் தனித் தனியாகச் சொன்னால் பிரச்சினையின் ஆழமும் பயங்கரமும் புரியும் என்று நினைக்கிறேன்.
அ.நீ அய்யா,
மிக தேர்ந்த சிறப்பான பதிவு. வழங்கியதற்கு நன்றி.
இது குறித்து தங்களை தனிமுறையில் இழிவுபடுத்தி இஸ்லாமியர்களின் விமர்சனங்கள் வரும். சிலவற்றை ஏற்கனவே பார்க்கிறேன். இவை அவர்கள் மனம் பிறர்ச்சிக்கும், தங்கள் கருத்துக்களின் உண்மை தாக்கத்துக்கும் சான்று என்றே எடுத்துக்கொள்ளுங்கள்.
இப்பதிவை திசை திருப்பும் தேவையற்ற விமர்சினங்களை (முதல் 2 சான்று...) தயை செய்து அனுமதிக்காதீர்கள்.
இஸ்லாம் ஒரு அடிமை சாசனம். முகம்மது கற்பனையில் உதித்த அல்லாஹ்வின் குர்ரானில் அடிமைத்தளம் கூடாது என்று எங்கும் சொல்லப்படவில்லை. அடிமைகளை நன்றாக நடத்துங்கள் என்று அல்லாஹ் சொல்கிறார். என்ன கொடுமை!!! அடிமைக்கு தேவை விடுதலைதானே. அதை விடுத்து அடிமைக்கு தேவையற்ற மற்றதை என்ன வழங்க முடியும்.
முகம்மது தன்னை இறைதூதன் என்று புரட்டுவாதத்தில் அரேபியாவை ஏமாற்ற ஆரம்பித்தபின் அவன் பலப்பல அடிமைகளை தன் கைக்குள் வைத்திருந்தான். இது குறித்து மேலும் எழுதலாம். ஆனால், நேரமில்லை.
அடிமைகளை கற்பழிக்க உரிமை உள்ளது என்று சொல்லும் இந்த இழிவுக்கோட்பாடு இப்புவியிலிருந்து அழிக்கப்படவேண்டும்.
இதுவே முஸ்லிம்களுக்கும் பிறருக்கும் மனித நேயத்திற்கும் பலம்.
இஸ்லாத்தில் எல்லோரும் சம்ம் என்பதும் ஒரு பம்மாத்து வேலை. இஸ்லாம் ஒரு அரேபிய ஆதிக்க கோட்பாடு.
முஸ்லிம் புகாரி ஹதீத்துக்களில் பல இடங்களில் முகம்மதுவின் கருப்பின அடிமைகளைப்பற்றியும், பெண்ணடிமைகளைப்பற்றியும் குறிப்புகள் விரிவாக காணக்கிடைக்கின்றன.
பிலால் மேல் புனையப்பட்ட பல கதைகளுக்கு இஸ்லாமிய நூல்களில் ஏதொரு ஆதாரமும் இல்லை. பிலால் எஜான் கூவுவதற்காக முகம்மது போட்ட ஒரு கருப்பு அடிமை. அரேபியர்கள் இந்த கூப்பாட்டுக்கு ரொம்ப சோம்பேறியாக இருந்ததுதான் காரணம். மற்றபடி ஆப்பிரிக்காவின் இருமை வரலாற்றின் இன்னொரு கறிய முகம் முகம்மதுவின் அடிமை பிலால்.
பிலால் என்பது ஒரு
/*
ஏக இறைக்கு மனித இரை
கூட்டிக்கொடுக்கும் மிதக்கும் வெளி
கேட்டால் சமத்துவ சால்ஜாப்பு
ஆனால் அதுவும் கிழிஞ்சு நாளாச்சு
*/
நச்..
அடிமை முறை இன்னும் நிலவும்
சவூதி வகாபி பாங்கொலியாம்
சமத்துவம் சொல்லி அழைக்கிறதாம்
சவூதி செண்ட் மணக்க வரும்
மிதக்கும் வெளிதான் ஏஜெண்டாம்
நீதி தடுப்பவன் எவன் என்று
சிறிதே சிந்தித்துப் பார்த்தால்
அடடா நாறுது சவூதி செண்ட்
அங்கே நிற்பான் வகாபி ஏஜெண்ட்டு/
ரிபீட்டே!!!
அரவிந்தன் அய்யா,
ஏக இறைவனும் பார்ப்பனீயமும்ன்னு பதிவு போடுங்கய்யா.கழிவு வெளிகளும்,பீலா பார்வைகளும்,தழல் குழல் ஊதி வருமய்யா வாந்தி எடுக்க.
இந்து என்றால் பார்ப்பனீயம்!
தேசீயம் என்றால் பார்ப்பனீயம்!!
ஒற்றுமையாய் இருங்கப்பா என்றால் ஜல்லி பார்ப்பனீயம்!!
இந்த கழிவு வெளி கோஷ்டிகளை கன்சிடர் செய்ய வேண்டாமய்யா.
அன்புடன்
பசும்பொன் பாண்டியன்
மும்பாய்
அடிமை முறை இன்னும் நிலவும்
சவூதி வகாபி பாங்கொலியாம்
சமத்துவம் சொல்லி அழைக்கிறதாம்
சவூதி செண்ட் மணக்க வரும்
மிதக்கும் வெளிதான் ஏஜெண்டாம்
நீதி தடுப்பவன் எவன் என்று
சிறிதே சிந்தித்துப் பார்த்தால்
அடடா நாறுது சவூதி செண்ட்
அங்கே நிற்பான் வகாபி ஏஜெண்ட்டு/
Double ரிபீட்டே!!!
MUHAMMAD, AISHA, ISLAM, AND CHILD BRIDES
by Silas
INTRODUCTION
Muhammad was 52 and Aisha was 9 when they married and sexually consummated their marriage. Muhammad followed an Arab custom in marrying a child who had her first menstrual cycle. This action must be questioned, regardless of it being a cultural norm, because Muhammad's action and teachings on marriage established an Islamic precedent: a girl is judged an adult following her first menses, and is eligible for marriage and sexual relations. Thus Muslim men are allowed to marry and have intercourse with young girls who have happened to have an early first menstrual cycle. As will be shown, this leads to physical and psychological damage to the child.
Muhammad's first wife - Khadija, died a few years before he fled to Medina. Later, he was encouraged to take another wife. At the age of 49 he was betrothed to Aisha, age six. Aisha was his closest friend's, Abu Bakr's, daughter. At that time, she had already been betrothed to another man but by mutual consent the betrothal was dissolved. Three years later, following her first menstrual cycle, he then formally married and sexually consummated his marriage with her.
Most Western people know it is not in a 9 year old girl's best interest to engage in marriage and sexual relations with a 52 year old man, regardless of the cultural setting. We know that, in our culture today, a person doing such a thing could possible be sent to prison for sex with a minor, statutory rape, or other related laws. Most of us find it questionable for Muhammad, a self proclaimed prophet of God, to do such a thing. We expect a real prophet to know better, or at least hear from God on the matter.
What is more critical than Muhammad's single action with Aisha is that he taught that a girl is considered an adult following her first menstrual cycle. He also taught that his followers were to follow his "sunnah" or lifestyle. Thus today, throughout much of the Mideast, girls as young as nine are often married by men old enough to be their grandfather.
But why then do we find it objectionable? After all, Muhammad did not live in our culture or under our law. He lived under a Semitic culture. And this custom of marrying girls after their first menses existed in the Mideast long before Muhammad. What is the basis for rejection of this Semite custom and Muhammad's precedent? Are there any valid reasons to criticize it? Or should it simply be rejected based upon our own cultural bias?
I'll address this and other issues in this paper, and a discussion of the consequences of his deed as well. However some fundamental groundwork needs to be laid before moving on. Aisha's actual age is the first point that needs to be established. Within the Islamic world there is division concerning Aisha's age when she sexually consummated her marriage. Many Muslims in the West have a hard time accepting Aisha was only a little girl of 9 when their "prophet" had sex with her. Some Muslims, and even Western writers, wrote that she did not have sex with Muhammad until she was 14 or so. I've never seen any textual Islamic support for their position, only conjecture. But the thought of their prophet committing such an act is embarrassing to them, so they invent, or re-write, documented Islamic history to make it more acceptable to their minds and the minds of other Western people as well.
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EVIDENCE THAT AISHA WAS 9 WHEN HER MARRIAGE TO MUHAMMAD WAS CONSUMMATED
There are a number of sources, all written by Muslims, that detail Muhammad's marriage and consummation with his young child-bride - Aisha.
FROM THE HADITH OF SAHIH BUKHARI
I have used Bukhari's Hadith, translated into English by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, at the Islamic University in Medina. Bukhari's Hadith is considered authentic by the majority of Sunni Islamic scholars. It is second to the Quran in terms of importance. The central figure to approve and sign the translation is Dr. Amin Al-Masri, Ph.D. Cambridge University. He is the Advisor and Head of the Sharia Dept., at the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies in Mecca.
From Bukhari vol. 7, #65:
"Narrated Aisha that the prophet wrote the marriage contract with her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old. Hisham said: "I have been informed that Aisha remained with the prophet for nine years (i.e. till his death).""
Bukhari vol. 7, #88:
"Narrated Urwa: "The prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death).""
Bukhari vol. 5, #234 says:
"Narrated Aisha: The prophet engaged me when I was a girl of six. We went to Medina and stayed at the home of Harith Kharzraj. Then I got ill and my hair fell down. Later on my hair grew (again) and my mother, Um Ruman, came to me while I was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends. She called me, and I went to her, not knowing what she wanted to do to me. She caught me by the hand and made me stand at the door of the house. I was breathless then, and when my breathing became all right, she took some water and rubbed my face and head with it. Then she took me into the house. There in the house I saw some Ansari women who said, "Best wishes and Allah's blessing and a good luck." Then she entrusted me to them and they prepared me (for the marriage). Unexpectedly Allah's messenger came to me in the forenoon and my mother handed me over to him, and at that time I was a girl of nine years of age."
FROM THE HADITH OF SAHIH MUSLIM VOLUME 2, #3309
Aisha reported: Allah’s Messenger married me when I was six years old, and I was admitted to his house at the age of nine….
FROM THE HADITH OF THE SUNAN OF ABU DAWUD
Abu Dawud's Hadith is the third most respected Hadith in Islam.
From Abu Dawud, Vol. 2, #2116:
"Aisha said, "The Apostle of Allah married me when I was seven years old." (The narrator Sulaiman said: "Or six years."). "He had intercourse with me when I was 9 years old."
FROM THE HISTORY OF TABARI
Tabari wrote the most authentic Islamic history. It covers 39 volumes. Tabari was one of the greatest Islamic scholars and the greatest Islamic Historian.
From Tabari, volume 7, page7:
"....my marriage (to Muhammad) was consummated when I was nine....."
From Tabari, volume 9, page 131
"Then the men and women got up and left. The Messenger of God consummated his marriage with me in my house when I was nine years old. Neither a camel nor a sheep was slaughtered on behalf of me"......(The Prophet) married her three years before the Emigration, when she was seven years old and consummated the marriage when she was nine years old, after he had emigrated to Medina in Shawwal. She was eighteen years old when he died.
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I also want to provide evidence from the best Islamic Ency. available in English, and other Islamic writers. They also acknowledge Aisha's age being 9.
FROM THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ISLAM, under "Aisha". (pub. by E.J. Brill).
"Some time after the death of Khadija, Khawla suggested to Muhammad that he should marry either Aisha, the 6 year old daughter of his chief follower, or Sawda Zama, a widow of about 30, who had gone as a Muslim to Abyssinia and whose husband had died there. Muhammad is said to have asked her to arrange for him to marry both. It had already been agreed that Aisha should marry Djubayr Mutim, whose father, though still pagan, was friendly to the Muslims. By common consent, however, this agreement was set aside, and Muhammad was betrothed to Aisha.... The marriage was not consummated until some months after the Hidjra, (in April 623, 624). Aisha went to live in an apartment in Muhammad's house, later the mosque of Median. She cannot have been more than ten years old at the time and took her toys to her new home."
From the Muslim book "WOMEN IN ISLAM" by Said Abjullah Seif-Al-Hatimy, published by Islamic Publications in Lahore Pakistan:
"...(Aisha) She was the youngest of his wives. It is said that she was nine years of age when he married her."
SUMMATION OF THE EVIDENCE OF AISHA'S AGE
I've belabored the point. But because of the controversy within the Islamic world I had to document her age thoroughly. The most respected Hadith and Islamic scholars from early on until this present day state that Aisha was 9 when Muhammad engaged in sexual relations with her.
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DEFINITION OF THE WORD TRANSLATED AS "CONSUMMATE"
There has been some confusion about the definition of the word "consummate". In Sahih Bukhari, vol. 7, #64, the root word used is "dakhala". From the Hans-Wehr Arabic-English Dictionary p273, it means "to enter, to pierce, to penetrate, to consummate the marriage, cohabit, sleep with a woman".
I have also asked two native Arabic speakers to confirm the definition of the word used in Bukhari. They read Bukhari in Arabic for themselves, and did indeed say it meant that Muhammad had sexual intercourse with Aisha when she was 9.
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ISLAM AND THE AGE OF PUBERTY
Islam teaches that female puberty begins when the menses is started. From Bukhari, volume 3, Book of Witnesses, chapter 18, page 513:
"The boy attaining the age of puberty and the validity of their witness and the Statement of Allah:
"And when the children among you attain the age of puberty, then let them also ask for permission (to enter)." Quran 24:59.
Al Mughira said, "I attained puberty at the age of twelve." The attaining of puberty by women is with the start of menses, as is referred to by the Statement of Allah:
"Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the prescribed period if you have any doubts (about their periods) is three months... [65:4]
...Al-Hasan bin Salih said, "I saw a neighbouress of mine who became a grandmother at the age of twenty-one." [1]
[1] The note for this reference says, "This women attained puberty at the age of nine and married to give birth to a daughter at ten; the daughter had the same experience."
My understanding of the above is that Islam considers that when a child "attains", or begins, "puberty", then he / she is considered an adult. Hence the validity of the witness.
Muhammad followed a cultural norm in marrying and having sex with a young girl. After all, she was considered an adult. Not only did he do that, but he taught his followers to do as he did. Therefore is acceptable for Muslim men to marry and have intercourse with girls who have had their menarche. Muhammad established this cultural practice as a precedent in Islam.
I add that there are other primitive cultures that allow girls to marry following their menarche. But that does not make it right or in the best interests of the child. Some cultures killed baby daughters for various reasons. Cultural norms do not make an action morally right.
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JEWISH CULTURE AND MARRIAGE
The Baker Ency. of the Bible says about Jewish marriage customs in volume 2, page 1407, under "Marriage":
"Subsequently, minimum ages (for marriage) of 13 for boys and 12 for girls were set."
And Jim West, ThD, writes online, [at http://www.theology.edu/marriage.htm], in "Ancient Israelite Marriage Customs":
"The wife was to be taken from within the larger family circle (usually at the "outset of puberty" or around the age of 13) in order to maintain the purity of the family line".
Even in the Mishnah, the age of maturity for a female is 12.5 years:
"she won her case in court before she matured [at the age of twelve years and six months], lo, they belong to the father." Mishnah Ketubot, 4:1.
So we see that Jewish culture also allowed young girls to be married at an early age. Not as young as 9, but as young as 12. The beginning of puberty was not the cultural norm for the Jewish culture to allow marriage. I assume marriage was allowed if the girl had her menarche, AND she reached the age of 12. This is superior to Islam's standard. Judaism insists that a girl must be at least 12, Islam allows for marriage following the first menses. I believe that there have been documented cases of girls having menarche as young as 8.
So here is the crux of the matter: do I, or anyone else, have the right to reprove Muhammad for instituting an accepted cultural norm as a legally permissible practice? Is it unjust criticism from me (and others) when we say that it is wrong to marry and engage in sex with young girls?
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SCIENCE AND PUBERTY
How do the biological sciences address the topic of female puberty? Here are quotes from several college level text books, and the World Book Encyclopedia. There is a great deal of info presented, but it is necessary to provide scientific details to fully understand puberty.
From "Adolescence", by L. Steinberg, pub. by McGraw Hill, 1993.
page 22: "Puberty derives from the Latin word "pubertas", which means "adult". Technically, the term refers to the period during which an individual becomes capable of sexual reproduction, that is, it denotes the series of biological changes leading up to reproductive capability. More broadly speaking, however, puberty is used as a collective term to refer to all the physical changes that occur in the growing girl or boy as the individual passes from childhood into adulthood."
page 23: "Puberty may appear to be rather sudden, judging from its external signs, but in fact it is part of a gradual process that begins at conception. (Petersen and Taylor, 1980). You may be surprised to learn that no new hormones are produced and no new bodily systems develop at puberty. Rather, some hormones that have been present since before birth increase, and other decrease."
page 26: "The effects of the endocrinological changes of puberty on the adolescent's body are remarkable. Consider the dramatic changes in physical appearance that occur during the short span of early adolescence. One enters puberty looking like a child and within FOUR years or so has the physical appearance of a young adult."
page 32: [This page shows a chart depicting that puberty lasts about 4 years in girls].
"Generally, full reproduction function does not occur until several years after menarche, and regular ovulation follows menarche by about two years (Hafetz, 1976)....
The onset of puberty can occur as early as 8 years in girls and 9.5 in boys, or as late as 13 in girls and 13.5 in boys. In girls, the interval between the first sign of puberty and complete physical maturation can be as short as one and one-half years or as long as six years....In more concrete terms, it is possible for an early-maturing, fast-maturing youngster to complete pubertal maturation by the age of 10 or 11 - two years before a late-maturing youngster has even begun puberty."
page 36 - 37: "(Although menarche does not signal the onset of puberty....) .....the average age at menarche generally is lower in those countries where individuals are less likely to be malnourished or suffer from chronic disease. For example, in western Europe and in the United States, the median menarcheal age ranges from about 12.5 years to 13.5 years. In Africa, however, the median menarcheal age ranges from 14 years to 17 years."
page 66: [There is a table depicting the four stages of cognitive development according to Piaget. It shows that the brain develops mature cognitive ability after age 11].
page 73: [On page 73 he presents a table showing that the brain is not fully mature until about the age of 16. From this table, I estimate that at age 9, the maturation of the brain is between 50 to 60%.].
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From "Adolescent Life Experiences", by G. Adams and T. Gullotta, pub. by Brooks / Cole, 1983:
page 89: "The onset of puberty is not a single, sudden event but a complex, gradual process. In perhaps oversimplified terms, puberty is characterized by (1) a spurt in physical growth, (2) maturation of physiological mechanisms, and (3) the appearance of secondary sex characteristics (for example, pubic hair or breast development). The onset of puberty is basically regulated by endocrine glands, important organs that create body changes through the secretion of chemicals into the bloodstream or lymphatic system.
page 92: "Although changes in height and breadth are important in adolescent development, society is more inclined to recognize the rapid maturation of the reproductive system during this period (D. D. Logan, Calder, & Cohen, 1980). The major stages in sexual maturation are (1) the initiation of puberty, which occurs approximately six months earlier in girls than in boys, 92) the development of secondary sex characteristics, which takes approximately four years; and (3) menarche, which occurs approximately two years after the onset of pubertal change (Marshall & Tanner, 1969, 1970).
page 101: "DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
When the gonads become sexually mature and active before age 8 in girls or before age 9 in boys, pediatricians are inclined to diagnose "precocious puberty". When this condition occurs, the pubertal process is generally complete within two years."
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FROM "ADOLESCENCE - TRANSITION FROM CHILDHOOD TO MATURITY", by Lambert, Rothschild, Altland, & Green, pub. by Brooks / Cole, 1978:
page 106: "The process of physical development that results in the end of childhood and the beginning of adolescence involves three overlapping stages: Prepuberty, pubescence, and puberty. Although this sequence is the same for all individuals, the times of onset and the lengths of these periods differ from one person to another (Thornburg, 1975).
Prepuberty begins at the end of childhood with a rapid rise in hormone levels... It is also a period in which a rapid growth spurt begins and the secondary sex characteristics, such as the budding of the breast in girls and the enlargement of the testes and penis in boys, start to develop. Generally, girls experience theses changes two years before boys; the average age of onset of this stage is 10 for females, 12 for males (Tanner, 1975).
Pubescence, the second stage, is characterized by the proliferation of sex cells and near completion of the secondary sex characteristics (Thornburg, 1975). Pubescence begins with the menarche, or first menstruation, in girls.... The appearance of these characteristics, however, does not necessarily indicate that the reproductive system is complete. It may be a matter of months or even years before the body is capable of reproduction.
It is only with the third phase, puberty, that girls develop regular ovulatory menstrual cycles and the capability for procreation....This period generally spans about two years for girls and about three years for boys, ending when all of the secondary sex characteristics have fully appeared and reproductive ability has been reached. Most boys are well into puberty by age 14 (Marshall, 1975), most girls by the age of 15-16."
page 108: "...the gradual decrease in the average age at which menarche has been occurring among Western European girls and apparently among girls of the United States and Canada as well (Botstein & McArthus, 1976)....The fact that research has indicated that this trend is just as evident among girls in temperate climates as among girls in warm climates would also tend to destroy the myth that girls mature earlier in warm climates than in more moderate ones."
page 111: "Abnormal growth and delayed or precocious puberty are usually associated with disorders in hypothalamic hormonal changes (Schonberg, 1075; Sizonenko, 1975)."
page 115 - 117: "In girls there initially appears a budding of the breasts, then the appearance of pubic hair, then the menarche, and finally ovulation. ...Breast development and pubic hair first become visible at about 10-11 years of age, whereas the menarche occurs, on the average, in the range of 11-13 years, or approximately two years after initial breast development. Menstruation during pubescence is generally irregular, partly due to factors of emotion, tension, and nutrition. Reproductive maturity is usually attained from one to two years after the first menstruation, with maximum fertility developing in the early 20s (Lamburg et al., 1973)....
The average age at menarche is 12.5 to 13. However, some normal girls may begin to menstruate as early as 9, while others may not start until the age of 16 (Offer & Offer, 1968)....
Genital growth is usually not complete when menstruation begins, and this growth continues slowly for several more years. The menarche is frequently followed by a period of sterility, which lasts until a regular ovulatory menstrual cycle is established. The duration of this period varies considerable; the first ovulation (the discharge of the first egg from the ovaries) may occur at menarche, or it may not take place until years later....
For several months following the menarche, there is usually a lack of regularity in the extent and timing of the menstrual flow."
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From "Child Adolescent Development", by J. Brunk, pub by Wiley, 1975:
page 70: "Precocious puberty is the extreme opposite of delayed sexual maturation. In this condition, a girl may develop secondary sexual characteristics before the age of 8, or a boy before he is 10. This clearly can produce severe psychological problems for the affected child."
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AN EDITOR FROM "PSYCHOLOGY TODAY", states that:
"Most research of which I'm aware shows that young people reach full intellectual maturity by age 11 or 12, whether or not they have achieved the physical changes of puberty."
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From the World Book Ency. under "Sex" on page 333 regarding puberty:
"Puberty is the period of rapid growth that marks the end of childhood and the beginning of physical and sexual maturity (full development).
From the World Book Ency. under "Adolescent", page 61:
"Most girls start puberty at about age 11. Most boys start at about age 13. Puberty ends when a girl or boy reaches sexual maturity - that is, becomes capable of reproduction. Most adolescents are sexually mature TWO OR THREE YEARS AFTER they start puberty." (Capitals mine).
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WHAT ARE THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES TELLING US ABOUT PUBERTY?
To begin with, puberty does not begin with a girl's menarche. It begins about a year or two earlier. Islam missed the mark on this. Islam considers that puberty and adulthood begin with the menarche.
Further, science teaches that puberty does not end with menarche. It takes at least 2 more years for a child to sexually mature. Islam also missed the mark on this end. Science shows that usually the female body still has a ways to go from the time a girl has her menarche to the time she is sexually able to reproduce, or is considered to have an adult body.
Science further documents that there are times when a child may have "precocious puberty" and have menarche as early as age 8. This is usually due to a dysfunction or disorder within the child. Aisha may have had precocious puberty. Although it happens, it is very rare that young children experience menarche at age 9. Aisha had been very sick prior to her "marriage" to Muhammad. She had even lost some of her hair during her illness. Physically, she was having severe problems. Perhaps she was having some type of sickness that triggered her menarche, or she was experiencing some disorder that also caused the menarche. Either way, having menses at age 9 does not signify adulthood and justify marriage and engaging in sexual activities.
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PUBERTY, MENARCHE, AND REPRODUCTION
There is a mis-conception that when a young girl has her first menarche, she is capable of getting pregnant. Many primitive cultures believed that a girl can become pregnant following menarche; Muhammad's culture probably believed this as well. However, science tells us this is very rare. Instead, the average time for a girl to become pregnant following menarche is one to two years. Clearly then, girls are not "mature" following their menarche. There are no biological grounds to marry and engage post-menarcheal girls in sexual activity; they cannot conceive children yet. Puberty does not equal maturity, and therefore this misconception should not lead to marriage.
Logically then, menarche is not a sign of a female being able to bear children. Only at the end of puberty can a girl conceive, not at the beginning, not at the middle. Puberty usually takes several years to complete.
Muhammad erred in establishing Islamic grounds allowing men to marry post-menarcheal girls. The girls are not sexually mature, they are not mentally mature, and they are not physically mature. Muhammad's precedent (Sunnah) is a blight upon the children of the Muslim world.
DAMAGE TO YOUNG GIRLS
SCIENCE AND OTHER EFFECTS OF EARLY SEXUAL ACTIVITY
Besides the documented assessment of growth and puberty above, other scientific and research groups have specifically addressed the effects of teen pregnancy. This of course reflects upon Islam, since Muhammad took a child bride, and taught it was okay for others to do as well. Here are some excerpts from webpages that address this issue.
from the American Academy of Pediatrics, at: http://www.aap.org/policy/02325.html
"...Improvements in prenatal care have resulted in decreases in medical complications among babies born to teenage mothers, but mothers aged 14 years and younger continue to experience unacceptably high rates of adverse outcomes. The most significant medical risks for infants of teenage mothers are likely related to the parental care those infants receive after the first year of life. Infants born to younger teenage mothers have a higher rate of mortality by their second birthday than infants of older adolescents and adults. [3] The incidence of prenatal mortality and low birth weight increases with subsequent pregnancies in adolescents. [4] The morbidity experienced by the infants of young mothers is more subtle to define but has been reported to include increased rates of hospitalization and increased risks of accidents, poisonings, burns, and superficial injuries. [5]...
...In several studies the cognitive levels of infants of younger v older mothers have been compared, and the results indicate lower cognition among the infants of younger mothers...
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FROM THE UNITED WAY - MARCH OF DIMES BIRTH DEFECTS FOUNDATION: TEENFACTS
http://babynet.ddwi.com/tlc/pregnancy/teenfact.html
"Health Risks to the Mother"
"A teenage mother is more at risk of pregnancy complications such as premature or prolonged labor, anemia and high blood pressure. These risks are even greater for teens who are less than 15 years old.(3)"
"Health Risks to the Baby"
"A baby born to a teenage mother is more at risk than a baby born to an older mother.
"Nine percent of teenage girls have low-birthweight babies (under 5.5 lbs.), compared to 7 percent of all mothers nationally.(1)"
"Low-birthweight babies may have organs that are not fully developed. This can lead to lung problems such as respiratory distress syndrome, or bleeding in the brain."
"Low-birthweight babies are 40 times more likely to die in their first month of life than normal-weight babies."
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FROM THE UNITED NATIONS
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu6/2/fs23.htm
NOTE: The webpage I obtained this from was particularly gruesome to read. Some sections, that did not pertain to this topic, (like female genital circumcision, a practice found throughout the Islamic world and taught by one of the 4 major schools of Islamic theology), I could not finish reading myself. It was just too gross. Do not read it if you have a weak stomach, or are disturbed by reports about women being abused. In this paper, I have tried to edit out gruesome details that were not necessary.
"HARMFUL TRADITIONAL PRACTICES AFFECTION THE HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN"
"An appraisal of harmful traditional practices and their effects on women and the girl child.
Traditional cultural practices reflect values and beliefs held by members of a community for periods often spanning generations. Every social grouping in the world has specific traditional cultural practices and beliefs, some of which are beneficial to all members, while others are harmful to a specific group, such as women. These harmful traditional practices include female genital mutilation (FGM); forced feeding of women; early marriage; the various taboos or practices which prevent women from controlling their own fertility; nutritional taboos and traditional birth practices; son preference and its implications for the status of the girl child; female infanticide; early pregnancy; and dowry price. Despite their harmful nature and their violation of international human rights laws, such practices persist because they are not questioned and take on an aura of morality in the eyes of those practicing them....
(NOTE: most of these are practiced by the Islamic world).
...Child marriage robs a girl of her childhood-time necessary to develop physically, emotionally and psychologically. In fact, early marriage inflicts great emotional stress as the young woman is removed from her parents' home to that of her husband and in-laws. Her husband, who will invariably be many years her senior, will have little in common with a young teenager. It is with this strange man that she has to develop an intimate emotional and physical relationship. She is obliged to have intercourse, although physically she might not be fully developed....
...Health complications that result from early marriage in the Middle East and North Africa, for example, include the risk of operative delivery, low weight and malnutrition resulting from frequent pregnancies and lactation in the period of life when the young mothers are themselves still growing....
The work of the Committee has also permitted the identification of certain areas where law reform should be undertaken, in both civil and penal areas, such as the minimum age for marriage and establishment of the age of criminal responsibility as being the attainment of puberty. Some States have argued that girls attain their physical maturity earlier, but it is the view of the Committee that maturity cannot simply be identified with physical development when social and mental development are lacking and that, on the basis of such criteria, girls are considered adults before the law upon marriage, thus being deprived of the comprehensive protection ensured by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The International Conference on Population and Development, held at Cairo in September 1994 (see p. 36 below), encouraged Governments to raise the minimum age for marriage. In her preliminary report to the Commission on Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, also recognized that the age of marriage was a factor contributing to the violation of women's rights ...
Early pregnancy can have harmful consequences for both young mothers and their babies. According to UNICEF, no girl should become pregnant before the age of 18 because she is not yet physically ready to bear children. Babies of mothers younger than 18 tend to be born premature and have low body weight; such babies are more likely to die in the first year of life. The risk to the young mother's own health is also greater. Poor health is common among indigent pregnant and lactating women. ...
An additional health risk to young mothers is obstructed labor, which occurs when the baby's head is too big for the orifice of the mother. This provokes vesicovaginal fistulas, especially when an untrained traditional birth attendant forces the baby's head out unduly....
Generally throughout the developing world, the average food intake of pregnant and lactating mothers is far below that of the average male. Cultural practices, including nutritional taboos, ensure that pregnant women are deprived of essential nutriments, and as a result they tend to suffer from iron and protein deficiencies...."
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So not only does science teach us that young girls are not mature just because they have had first menarche, but science teaches us that teen, or worse yet, pre-teenage girls should not be bearing children. Their bodies are not ready for it. These type of pregnancies are frequently harmful both to the mother and the child.
However, Islam does not take into account the child's or mother's health. Because it was part of Muhammad's "sunnah", (lifestyle), and because early marriage of girls is permitted in Islam, (following menarche), it cannot change it's position on this issue. Consequently, this type of abuse occurs throughout the Islamic world. If anyone wants to see just how bad child abuse is in the Islamic world, read the above webpage posted by the United Nations. Most of the barbaric cultural practices listed there are generally practiced in the Islamic world.
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MORE PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO YOUNG GIRLS
Modern medicine teaches that a female's body is not fully developed at age 9. Sexual intercourse at that age could damage a female's sexual organs. For instance, at the age of 9 years old, the cervix of the female is yet undeveloped, as are many of the child's sexual organs. Further, intercourse at this age leads to an 80% increased risk in her developing cervical cancer later in life.
In the book "One River", by Wade Davis, page 228, (Simon & Schuster), Davis documents how when young girls are subjected to intercourse with an adult male, their hips get damaged, because their bones are not fully formed:
"These were Loayza's concubines, Indian children who grew into adolescence physically deformed, their hips weak and permanently dislocated from intercourse."
I am not saying that Aisha had deformed hips, or that Muhammad brutalized her. I am saying that just because a girl has her 1st menstrual cycle doesn't mean she qualifies as an adult. There are other factors that need to be considered. Islam however, fails to consider these factors.
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PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE TO YOUNG GIRLS
There have been several studies done on females who were married at a very young age, and then taken into sexual intercourse. Following is a citation from two of them.
"Sexual contact between children and adults: A life course perspective."
Browning, Christopher R; Laumann, Edward O
Citation: American Sociological Review, v62n4, pp.540-560, Aug 1997
Number: 03374356 Features: Table; Illustration; References
Copyright: American Sociological Association 1997
"Research interest in the long-term effects of sexual contact between female children and adults has increased dramatically in the last two decades. Two sets of issues have driven this enhanced attention. The first concerns the nature and extent of the impact these experiences have on subsequent well-being in adulthood. Empirical research has offered evidence of the severe and wide ranging effects of adult-child sex by documenting its associations with a host of later "symptoms," such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and sexual dysfunction."
"In each reduced model (Model 1), we see that adult-child sexual contact is significantly associated with the outcome considered. Women who experienced adult-child sexual contact were 1.6 times as likely to report sexual desire dysfunction, 2.1 times as likely to report sexual response dysfunction, 2.4 times as likely to report high dysfunction, 1.6 times as likely to report low overall well being, 1.7 times as likely to report low relationship satisfaction, and had more sexual activities that they found appealing compared with those who had no coupled sexual experiences as children. For every outcome except high dysfunction and number of sex acts found appealing, the introduction of the sexual trajectory variables (Models 2 and 3) renders the adult-child sexual contact coefficient insignificant, indicating that the effects of adult-child sex on adult outcomes are largely indirect, mediated through sexual trajectories."
Another such study was done by Peter O. Ebigbo. In the German periodical for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychoanalysis his work was published. The abstract reads,
"Presents data on disturbed female clients whose marriages were arranged at age 9-13 years. When husbands had paid the dowry and fulfilled marriage customs, they were entitled to have sexual intercourse with their wives. Early sexual experience, mostly against the will of the underage girls, precipitated positive or negative reactions. In positive reaction cases, an imprinting fixation on the man took place. If the man died or rejected the young women, a disorientation took place, resulting mostly in an inability to have sexual relationships with other men. If the reaction was negative, the women did all she could to prevent sexual relationships with her husband through a variety of symptoms such as frequent pregnancies and secret love affairs."
A quick review of Aisha's life, during and following Muhammad's death, shows that she exhibited some psychological problems:
1) She was extremely jealous of some of Muhammad's other wives.
From Bukhari, 5.164:
Narrated 'Aisha:
I did not feel jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet as much as I did of Khadija (although) she died before he married me, for I often heard him mentioning her, and Allah had told him to give her the good tidings that she would have a palace of Qasab (i.e. pipes of precious stones and pearls in Paradise), and whenever he slaughtered a sheep, he would send her women-friends a good share of it.
2) She conspired with other wives and lied to and deceived Muhammad.
From Bukhari 7.192:
Narrated 'Ubaid bin 'Umar:
I heard 'Aisha saying, "The Prophet used to stay for a long while with Zanab bint Jahsh and drink honey at her house. So Hafsa and I decided that if the Prophet came to anyone of us, she should say him, "I detect the smell of Maghafir (a nasty smelling gum) in you. Have you eaten Maghafir?' " So the Prophet visited one of them and she said to him similarly. The Prophet said, "Never mind, I have taken some honey at the house of Zainab bint Jahsh, but I shall never drink of it anymore." So there was revealed: 'O Prophet ! Why do you ban (for you) that which Allah has made lawful for you ... If you two (wives of Prophet) turn in repentance to Allah,' (66.1-4) addressing Aisha and Hafsa. 'When the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to some of his wives.' (66.3) namely his saying: But I have taken some honey."
3) She was a ringleader in the first Muslim civil war... the first time Muslims took arms up against other Muslims. According to the Hadith, Muslims went to hell for fighting in support of her. In the "Battle of the Camel", thousands of Muslims were killed fighting against each other. Aisha's side lost, and she was basically put under house arrest by Ali.
From Bukhari 9.204:
Narrated Al-Hasan:
(Al-Ahnaf said:) I went out carrying my arms during the nights of the affliction (i.e. the war between 'Ali and 'Aisha) and Abu Bakra met me and asked, "Where are you going?" I replied, "I intend to help the cousin of Allah's Apostle (i.e., 'Ali)." Abu Bakra said, "Allah's Apostle said, 'If two Muslims take out their swords to fight each other, then both of them will be from amongst the people of the Hell-Fire.' It was said to the Prophet, 'It is all right for the killer but what about the killed one?' He replied, 'The killed one had the intention to kill his opponent.'"
5.116:
Narrated Abu Wail:
When 'Ali sent 'Ammar and Al-Hasan to (the people of) Kufa to urge them to fight, 'Ammar addressed them saying, "I know that she (i.e. 'Aisha) is the wife of the Prophet in this world and in the Hereafter (world to come), but Allah has put you to test, whether you will follow Him (i.e. Allah) or her."
So not only did Aisha help cause the death of thousands of Muslim men, she is pictured as acting against the very will of Allah.
One can only feel sorry for Aisha. Robbed of her childhood, becoming a bride to a man who had a large sexual appetite for many women, Aisha felt she had to at times lie to and deceive Muhammad to keep his attention. She ends up after her marriage to him, left all alone, forbidden to re-marry. Later, she helps lead the first Muslim civil war, causing the death of thousands of Muslims, who according to Islam, would go to hell for fighting each other. Finally defeated, she is not executed but ordered to live the rest of her days, basically under house arrest, in Medina.
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ABUSIVE ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS PRACTICES IN THE WORLD TODAY
Sandra Mackey, in "Saudis, Inside the Desert Kingdom" writes on page 161: "Girls are considered marriageable from the time they reach puberty. The lower class marries very young. The ages for marriage and first pregnancy on Tarut Island, off the east coast, were published in a rare study on women that I unearthed from a library. In the group as a whole, the mean age for marriage was fourteen, with the first pregnancy occurring at sixteen. Out of 193 girls, 3 married as young as ten. Among the Bedouins and the rural poor, a girl can be the second of two wives, married to a man older than her father, the mother of several children, and suffering from severe depression by the age of eighteen."
Miriam Ali, in "Without Mercy", pub. by Warner Books, 1995 tells the story of her daughters being abducted and sold as wives in Yemen. Their names are Nadia and Zana. The girls were both in their early teens. Here are relevant excerpts:
page 123: Gowan (a man who purchased one of Miriam's daughters) laughed in my face. "They are not your daughters Miriam, they are ours (because the men purchased the girls). Mine and Abdul Khada. I paid good money for Nadia to bear children for my son, as Abdul Khada paid for Zana....Muthana (Miriam's husband) knows this. He knew this when we struck our deal. He has no problem with it........."Do you think I would allow this, the sale of my own daughters?" What is it to do with you Miriam? This is man's business, nothing for a woman to concern herself with."
page 300: I discovered that I wasn't the only one to have suffered at the hands of a Shamiri. I now knew at least 5 other mothers who have had their children taken to Yemen. This had accounted for at least 10 other children, the majority of them female. I knew that there were many more like them.
Zana had met so many girls taken from the Midlands (England), taken by force who were now in Yemen. One was a petite blonde from Derby. She was 9 years old when she was taken and had already three miscarriages when she became pregnant a forth time. This time the child had been stillborn. The death of this little baby had taken the child-mother's sanity. She was 12 years old. Another, also 12 years old, often chatted to Zana, telling her she could still count to 10 in English. She told Zana how desperate she was to go home to England. As they talked together, she suckled a child at her breast.
page 387: It's the Islam mom, I am Muslim, I can't come home with you. He said he would bring me, but it is not up to me, if -- if I can come home or not, it is up to him. I want to come home, but....."
page 390: "Imagine if you will, that this is your life, that this has happened to your own flesh and blood. Imagine a strange man touching her, beating her, raping her, impregnating her then laughing smugly in her face as she suffers."
"Please don't forget me, please don't leave me here too long, please." --- Nadia Muhsen, Taiz, Yemen. Feburary, 1992.
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FROM PRINCESS, BY JEAN SASSON
page 74: In Saudi Arabia, the appearance of the first menses means that it is time to select the first veil and abaaya.
page 75: A child enters the store, but a woman emerges, veiled, and on that day, of marriageable age. Her life changes in that split second.
There are other books I could quote from, but the above is enough to illustrate the point: in the Islamic world today, Muhammad's "sunnah", or lifestyle, has led to the legal abuse of young children. Many of them are coerced, either by their fathers, family, or their families financial situation, to accept marriage with a man old enough to be their grandfather. Other girls probably don't even understand what they are getting into when they are approached to marry a man.
Starting after the first menses, these children are valued greatly for their virginity, exploited by lustful old men, who purchase the girl with a dowry, and use them for sexual gratification and child-bearing. They are left to live as second class people, in a culture based upon Muhammad's life. This is the Islam that Muslims in the West don't want to tell you about, or do not know about themselves at all, living in countries with better standards than their religion teaches.
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WAS AISHA MATURE ENOUGH TO DECIDE FOR HERSELF? ARE YOUNG GIRLS OLD ENOUGH TO DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES?
From reading Aisha's accounts in the Hadith and Tabari's history, it is obvious that she raised no objection in marrying Muhammad. She was still playing with her dolls. It all happened so quickly that she didn't know what was going on. This is not surprising. As stated, the brain's ability to be maturely cognitive occurs well after age 9. At age 9, Aisha was barely able to comprehend the world around her. She knew that Muhammad was someone special, she knew that her father loved him. She went along for the ride. Literally. In fact, before the wedding ceremony, Muhammad had her sit in his lap! One could only wonder what he was thinking. So because Aisha raised no objection does not make it right. She was too young to truly think and decide for herself.
And what about all the other little girls in the Islamic world who are not "fortunate" enough to marry a celebrity like Muhammad? Do they really have a choice? Are their voices heard? According to what is documented, many are not. Many little girls become severely depressed following Muhammad's "Sunnah" in the Islamic world.
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CULTURAL NORMS
Some Muslims insist that Muhammad should not be judged by our culture today. But what we are dealing with goes far deeper than cultural practices. Muhammad established a cultural "norm". This practice of taking young girls continues to exist in the Muslim world today. Culture is important.
Muhammad had the ability to change and shape the culture of the people who followed him or submitted to him. He ordered his followers to not bury alive their baby daughters, he forbid the use of alcohol, he mandated inheritance rules for male and female, he instituted slavery as an Islamic norm. If this topic dealt with Muhammad alone, (for example, only he was allowed to have 11 wives), then I wouldn't judge him so harshly. But he proclaimed himself as the final prophet of God. He taught his followers to follow his lifestyle, i.e., to have their culture centered around his way of life. If it was good enough for Muhammad to take a young girl, then it is okay for Muslim men today to do this.
Just because an action is a cultural norm, does not make it morally right. In Muhammad's culture it was morally acceptable for him to do what he did to Aisha. The people of Muhammad's time, both his followers and enemies, did not think it was wrong for Muhammad to do this. But it is no longer morally acceptable to continue this barbaric practice. Today, we know better.
Take for example smoking cigarettes. About 50 years ago, 50% of all American males were smokers. It was culturally acceptable to smoke. It was a sign of being "cool, tough, with-it, etc.". However, that has changed. From science, today we know that smokers are addicted to the drug nicotine. From science, we know that smoking causes cancer and other illnesses. Praise God, our culture regarding smoking has changed, and is continuing to change. What was once culturally acceptable is now becoming culturally un-acceptable. We have learned, and changed.
In the same way, just because Muhammad's culture accepted marrying and having sex with girls following their menarche, does not make it absolutely morally right. In the light of today's science, we know it is morally wrong to do this to young girls. Muhammad should be condemned, not for what he solely did to Aisha, but because he instituted this evil practice as part of Islam's culture.
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MUHAMMAD'S REASONS FOR MARRYING AISHA
Another claim Muslims make to justify Muhammad's marriage is that Muhammad was cementing his bond with Aisha's father, Abu Bakr. But, we read in Tabari that that was not the reason Muhammad married her. Here is the quote from Tabari, volume 9, page 129.
"The Reason Why the Messenger of God Asked for the Hands of Both Aisha and Sawdah in Marriage...
...When Khadijah died, Khawlah, wife of Uthman, who was in Mecca, said (to the Messenger of God), "O Messenger of God, will you not marry?" He replied, "Whom"?" "A maiden [virgin]", she said, if you like, or a non-maiden." He replied, "Who is the maiden?" "The daughter of the dearest creature of God to you," she answered, "Aisha bint Abi Bakr.".....
She went to Abu Bakr's house, where she found Umm Ruman, mother of Aisah and said, "O Umm Ruman, what a good thing and a blessing has God brought to you!" She said, "What is that?" Khawlah replied, "The Messenger of God has sent me to ask for Aisha's hand in marriage on his behalf."
The story goes on to describe how Abu Bakr then gave his daughter in marriage [equal to betrothal] when she was 6.
Note here there is nothing at all about "cementing ties", between Abu Bakr and Muhammad. Instead, all we see is a match maker hooking up Muhammad with Aisha. Anyone familiar with Abu Bakr knows that his relationship to Muhammad needed no cementing. He put his life on the line for Muhammad many times and followed him through thick and thin.
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EXAMINATION
Muhammad said that God said about Muhammad in the Quran:
"Surely in the Messenger of God you have a good example". 33:21
What kind of example was he in allowing child abuse? Was there any wisdom in what Muhammad allowed? Were there any lessons to be learned from allowing this type of child abuse? Was God's in any of this? Did Muhammad's people and culture benefit from establishing this practice? Of course not. Muhammad proclaimed himself as a guide and a light for his followers. Yet through his actions alone, thousands, if not millions of Muslim girls have been subjected to this harmful practice. Where was the light? Where was the guidance? Where was the wisdom? It was nothing more than a cultural practice, instituted by Muhammad as part of Islam. It turns out to be destructive. But because it was good enough for Muhammad, it is good enough for Muslims; many of their female children suffer as a result.
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WHAT'S THE VERDICT - EVIDENCE FROM THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES = MUHAMMAD JUDGED.
How then should Muhammad be judged? By our cultural and legal standards, Muhammad committed a crime. And I do thank God that our standards are better than his and those of Islam's when it comes to protecting children. But Muhammad didn't live under our standards. Instead, he lived under the standards of his own time, and those of his making.
I am not saying Muhammad was a pedeophile or a pervert. But I am saying that what he did was wrong, and worse, he established it as an acceptable act. He may not have committed misconduct according to his cultural norms, but since he claimed to set up his "sunnah", i.e. "lifestyle", for all his followers, we can judge him accordingly. Muhammad instituted a convention of sexual misconduct, i.e. allowing girls, who were not truly ready for marriage, to be taken.
He may have not known better, but he should not be excused for setting up a system that institutionalizes child abuse. He proclaimed that his lifestyle was the one to be emulated, and in part, he bears the judgment for this child abuse in the Islamic world today. Girls at age 9 are not mature enough, either physically, emotionally, or mentally, to be put into those type of "marriage" situations. Shouldn't he be found guilty according to his own words and actions?
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QUESTIONS
1) Muhammad and Islam establish the right to marry and have intercourse with any girl who has had her first menstrual cycle. Science proves this is bad for the child. If Muhammad were from God, would God have allowed that perverse dictum to be set in motion?
2) What consideration is given to the young girls in Saudi, Yemen, and elsewhere in the Islamic world, who for one reason or another, are taken in marriage following their first menstrual cycle? Many accounts of life in Saudi Arabia for women detail how depressing life is for Saudi women, especially for those who do not have access to Saudi's great wealth. Shouldn't these young girls be given a chance to live a better life?
3) Wouldn't a real God have put in place better, more responsible guidelines for dealing with children? Couldn't God have given Muhammad a "revelation" to protect young female children until they are older or more mature for marriage? After all, why did it have to be allowed following the first menstrual cycle?
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CONCLUSION
It is clear that Muhammad had intercourse with Aisha when she was 9 years old. Since girls at that age are not fully mature either physically, emotionally, or psychologically, we know that it is wrong for a man, regardless of his age, to engage a child in sexual relations. No other conclusion can be drawn. No one would expect a real prophet of a righteous God to engage in, justify, allow, and prescribe for his followers such an malignant act.
Muhammad established a appalling precedent for Islam, Muslims, and young girls. This was not based upon wisdom, knowledge, or science, but only upon his culture, desires, actions, and teachings. He should be judged as a man who established child abuse as a norm in Islam.
Does an Arab CUSTOM of having sexual intercourse with young girls after their first menstrual cycle, mitigate the action of a 52 year old man who claimed to be a Prophet of God? Or is the fact that Muhammad followed these customs and had sexual intercourse with Aisha at the age of 9 years, while she is still playing with toys to be overlooked? That's for you to decide.
Jesus said, "You shall know them by their fruits", Matthew 7:20. We see that one of Muhammad's fruits was allowing young girls to be subjected to a brutal custom.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bukhari's Hadith, translated into English by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan
Abu Dawud's Hadith is the third most respected Hadith in Islam.
THE HISTORY OF TABARI
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ISLAM
From the Muslim book "WOMEN IN ISLAM" by Said Abjullah Seif-Al-Hatimy, published by Islamic Publications in Lahore Pakistan:
The Baker Ency. of the Bible
"Ancient Israelite Marriage Customs", by Jim West, http://www.theology.edu/marriage.htm
"Adolescent Life Experiences", by G. Adams and T. Gullotta, pub. by Brooks / Cole, page 4:
"ADOLESCENCE", by L. Steinberg, pub. by McGraw Hill, 1993.
"ADOLESCENCE - TRANSITION FROM CHILDHOOD TO MATURITY", by Lambert, Rothschild, Altland, & Green, pub. by Brooks / Cole.
"Child Adolescent Development", by J. Brunk, pub by Wiley, 1975:
from the American Academy of Pediatrics, at: http://www.aap.org/policy/02325.html
FROM THE UNITED WAY - MARCH OF DIMES BIRTH DEFECTS
FOUNDATION: TEENFACTS
http://babynet.ddwi.com/tlc/pregnancy/teenfact.html
FROM THE UNITED NATIONS
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu6/2/fs23.htm
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childbrides.htm
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