Deborah Akers

Recently we are seeing editorials in Saudi newspapers asking that stricter laws curtail the traditional practice of arranged marriages for girls under the age of 18. The practice is prevalent in villages and the countryside more than in large cities. It has been in the newspapers recently as some families have arranged marriage contracts for girls under the age of 12. There has been a backlash against the practice since some social activists have asserted that families have done this to pay off debts or to add needed income.

What’s interesting is that the Human Rights Commission has started to play a larger role, even though it still is more of a formality, in influencing public opinion. The deputy chairman of the commission, Dr. Saleh Al-Kathlan, has made the recommendation the minimum age for marriage be set at 15. Additionally, as we see more Saudi women active as journalists, they too are taking an active role in being advocates for women’s rights through editorials in newspapers.

For a recent article: Feb 16 2009 (21 Safar 1430) “Raise Awareness to Stop Underage Marriages” Rasheed Albidhani in Okaz newspaper.

Raise awareness to stop underage marriages

Rasheed Albidhani | Okaz

The Human Rights Commission (HRC) has recommended to the Kingdom’s higher authorities that orders be issued to stop marriage of young girls. The HRC proposed making 15 the minimum age at which girls could marry.

The deputy chairman of the commission, Dr. Saleh Al-Kathlan, said the HRC made the recommendation after following up many cases in the media, courts and society concerning parents marrying their very young daughters.

It is worth mentioning that a number of cases relating to underage marriages have been brought to courts in recent times. We have also witnessed family disputes over the issue, especially in Hail, Jizan, Asir and Taif.

I believe it to be correct that there is no clear-cut Shariah rule setting a certain age for a girl’s marriage. We cannot, of course, find justification in the marriages of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to legalize this issue because some of his marriages were necessitated for political and religious reasons.

It seems that specifying a minimum age for marriage is a question of tradition and social needs rather than religious teachings.

No doubt, it is Allah’s mercy that He did not impose on us an age limit for marriage. He has left it open for us to decide.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Saudi Arabia signed in 1995 and endorsed the next year, defines a child as anyone under the age of 18. This age was set in the light of studies conducted by specialists in biology and psychology and is not at all contradictory to the principles of Shariah.

This definition means that if we marry our daughters when they are younger than 18, we are actually marrying children. This is a sin. When we marry a young girl to a very old man, this is a bigger sin.
When we think of marrying our daughters, we have to consider everything that would make them happy, including the suitability of the age of the man.

We want to see our daughters highly educated in order to participate in the process of nation building. We want to have women doctors, teachers, nurses and others. Advanced studies need complete dedication. Some girls will not be able to meet the requirements of both study and marriage at the same time. So one of the two might be doomed to failure. If this is so for mature girls, what would be the case of children?

Marrying girls under the age of 18 means we are actually marrying children who are not physically or emotionally ready for marriage. The end result will be victimizing the girls and ruining their married life.
To resolve this problem we need to spread awareness in society so that we do not marry girls who are not mature enough for conjugal union. We can make laws that will stop parents trading their daughters for money or to settle their debts while the little girls will only suffer in agony and misery

Yesterday, King Abdullah reshuffled the Kingdom’s cabinet. It was the first cabinet shuffle since he came to the throne in 2005. Among the surprises of his appointments was placing a woman, Nora bint Abdullah al-Fayez as a woman deputy minister. She made history as being the first woman to be a deputy minister in Saudi Arabia when she was placed in charge of girls’ affairs in the Ministry of Education. While Western observers were pleased by al-Fayez’s placement, it was business as usual for the Saudis as a woman has traditionally been in charge of the girls section, but usually given a title such as mudir or administrative manager of the section.

Other changes included naming Abdul Aziz bin Muhiyuddin Khoja as the new minister of culture and information, replacing Iyad Madani. That was a disappointing change since the previous sitting Minister was educated in the United States and had a background in the arts which made his focus and emphasis on building bridges in a post 911 world through cultural performances in Europe, Africa and Asia. Khoja was educated in England, trained in chemistry and received training in the Information side of the Ministry. His tenure promises to be more pragmatic and internally focused than that of Iyad Madani.

Probably the most important change was the appointment of Abdul Aziz Al-Humain as head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. He replaced Ibrahim Al-Ghaith. Al-Humain is more of a morderate and will bring the Mutawwa or religious police more in line with a moderate role that the Saudi government has been advocating in the last couple of years.