Monday 17 June 2013

The Institution of Marriage- Forced Marriages of Under Age Girls

As I read my ISU novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, I learnt about the outdated practice of under age marriage forced on to girls in Afghanistan communities. I decided to research
this convention further and found this article on Google News.
http://digitaljournal.com/article/318723

It describes how, in the London Borough of Islington, girls as young as 9 years of age are being forced into marriages with sometimes middle aged men. It also says that although this practice is banned in the UK, parents of these young girls circumvent the law and conduct the ceremonies in Shariah courts attached to mosques.  It continues to say how these children are sometimes still attending primary school, while at home they are forced to do the duties of a wife. The article quotes Ahmed Saad, an Imam (or person of leadership) of the Finsbury Park Mosque, as he condemns the controversial practice saying “This is down to ignorance, and ignorant people who will use any excuse they can to do this to their children. It is the practice in their home countries and they don’t want to stop that here, so they will say it’s in the Koran, when it is not. According to Islam, it is entirely unacceptable.”

I think the practice of forced under age marriage or forced marriage all together is abominable and shouldn't be tolerated in any country, regardless of tradition. The girls in Islington and many other communities around the world are stripped of their human rights as their choice to decide their fate in marriage and life is taken away. These girls forced to marry men three times their age also lose their innocence as they are required to perform the duties of wives and mothers at a time they should be enjoying their right to be children. This article proves, like the article we read in class on the barbarity of boxing,  that unless the people supporting this institution in the Afghan community change their perspective on forcing under age girls to marry than nothing will ever change.

2 comments:

  1. That's an interesting article, I think that although it's good to keep your cultural roots when you immigrate to another country, you still need to adapt to the country your moving into's society. Even though it's acceptable to do thing like arranged marriages between a minor and a middle aged man where you used to live, you need to understand it is against the law wherever you have moved to.

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  2. I agree!I am disgusted by forced marriage. These poor young girls are so over powered they cannot even speak up to disagree and cry for help. Still goes to show religious views still believe women are less of human than men. The fact that this is still happening over in the UK is unbelievable ! i am disgusted. I disagree with forced marriage.

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