Sunday, December 21, 2008

Saudi Arabia: more rights for cats than for girls

This morning I read my daily paper and what surprises me:  ANIMALS, like humans, are the creation of Allah. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not only sent as a mercy to mankind but also to all living creatures.  “And We have sent you (O Muhammad, peace be upon him) not but as a mercy for the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).” (Qur’an, 21:107) 

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If any Muslim plants any plant and a human being or an animal eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in charity.” – (Al-Bukhari)  It does make me somewhat cynical, I admit.  This week a Saudi court here rejected the plea of an 8-year old child to be divorced from her 'husband'.  

Let me tell you, I'd rather see a few more Saudi men kick a cat or kill a whale, than this disgraceful abuse of children in a farce called 'islamic marriage'. An eight-year-old girl who was married off to a 58-year-old must stay with the man until she reaches puberty, a Saudi court has ruled.The youngster was married off by her father in exchange for a £4,000 dowry.

Relatives of the girl said the groom had agreed not to consummate the marriage for 10 years and to allow the youngster to live with her mother.The girl’s mother, who is separated from her husband, had filed a petition for divorce with a court in Unayzah, 135 miles north of Riyadh. But the court ruled that the girl must file the case herself when she reaches puberty, it was reported. “The judge has dismissed the plea because she does not have the right to file such a case, and ordered that the plea should be filed by the girl herself when she reaches puberty,” lawyer Abdullah Jtili told the AFP news agency. 

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