An 8-year-old girl was allowed to divorce her 50-year-old husband in Saudi Arabia. The marriage had been upheld by a judge twice; the girl's father had agreed to the marriage as long as it wasn't consumated until she hit puberty. The father arranged the marriage because he owed money to the 50-year-old man.
Ewww.
Despite being previous upheld by "the country's highest religious authority, the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Shaikh" who said that "marrying girls even under the age of 15 was not against Sharia - Islamic law which forms the basis of the Saudi legal system," the marriage was finally "annulled in a private out-of-court settlement between the two families in the city of Onaiza." The country is now "considering" a ban on marriages involving girls under 18, according to Reuters.
A few days ago on the Howard Stern Show (stay with me here), Howard mentioned that he had been invited to the opening of a hotel in Dubai. He declined, partly because he never goes anywhere, but also because he doesn't want to support a society that oppresses women. Dubai (which I realize is not the same as Saudi Arabia) has become a popular tourism spot for wealthy people looking for a new thrill. Stories like this should make them realize that by traveling to these countries, they are supporting a culture that only began to "consider" changing a barbaric law after someone noticed.
Source: Telegraph
Image: Wikipedia
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