 Haider Hamoudi, Professor of Law, University of Pittsburgh School of Law provides an explanation of Child Marriages in Islam
"First, it is amply clear that the classical shari'a among all Sunni schools of thought sanctions marriage at puberty, which is assumed to be age nine for girls. Some schools require the girl's consent, some do not, some allow the father to contract the marriage before nine but then give the girl an opportunity to repudiate the contract before nine (known as khiyar al bulugh, or the option at puberty), but I'm not sure precisely what all of this is about when you are talking about a nine year old in our times. Or so I thought. It actually does seem to mean something, when you get the random young girl courageous enough to go to a courthouse and demand a divorce--the fact that she has an option at puberty might then mean something. But it's fair to say, for a vast majority, there is little difference between choice and no choice at nine, most girls that age could barely grasp the consequences of marriage in a manner to make it a meaningful and informed choice as we understand that today". |
 Sadly Islamic Child Marriages are a Serious Problem in New Zealand
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