• Login
  • Register
The Daily Sceptic
No Result
View All Result
  • Articles
  • About
  • Archive
    • ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ROUND-UPS
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Premium
  • Donate
  • Log In
The Daily Sceptic
No Result
View All Result

Iraq Proposes Lowering Legal Age of Marriage for Girls to Nine

by Will Jones
10 August 2024 1:00 PM

A conservative coalition forming the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament has pushed proposals to lower the legal age of marriage for girls to just nine years old, sparking backlash from activists and rights groups. The Mail has more.

Protesters demonstrated in Baghdad this week to express their outrage at changes that would allow aspects of personal status matters to be legislated by religious sects, rather than the courts.

With many Iraqi marriages conducted informally and left unregistered, the revisions would allow figures from Sunni and Shia religious sects to finalise unions between people in law.

But critics fear the Shia code would be based on “Jaafari jurisprudence”, allowing girls as young as nine and boys as young as 15 to marry. Under current Iraqi law, both can marry from 18.

“The Iraqi community categorically rejects these proposals, it is a degrading step for both Iraqi men and women alike. This is what we have been fighting against for years,” women’s rights activist Suhalia Al Assam told the National this week.

The amendments to Law No. 188, the Personal Status Law of 1959 have been pushed by a coalition of conservative Shia Islamist parties, which form the largest bloc in parliament.

The Coordination Framework attempted to carry out a first reading on July 24th, but shelved the plans until last Sunday after meeting political resistance.

Many protesters gathered in Tahrir Square in the capital on Thursday to voice their opposition to the bill, which some said would foment further division in society.

The significance of nine years old for Muslims, of course, is that, according to authoritative Islamic tradition, Muhammad consummated his marriage to his child bride Aisha when she was that age. Increasingly it seems that a key question for ordinary Muslims is, can they stop the seventh century intruding so brutally on the 21st?

Worth reading in full.

Tags: IraqIslamMuhammadPaedophiliaWomen's Rights

Donate

We depend on your donations to keep this site going. Please give what you can.

Donate Today

Comment on this Article

You’ll need to set up an account to comment if you don’t already have one. We ask for a minimum donation of £5 if you'd like to make a comment or post in our Forums.

Sign Up
Previous Post

Boris Johnson: Keir Starmer is “Deaf” to Immigration Concerns

Next Post

Labour Will Not Make ‘Misgendering’ Trans People a Hate Crime

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
Please log in to comment

To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.

Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.

29 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

NEWSLETTER

View today’s newsletter

To receive our latest news in the form of a daily email, enter your details here:

DONATE

PODCAST

In Episode 35 of the Sceptic: Andrew Doyle on Labour’s Grooming Gang Shame, Andrew Orlowski on the India-UK Trade Deal and Canada’s Ignored Covid Vaccine Injuries

by Richard Eldred
9 May 2025
5

LISTED ARTICLES

  • Most Read
  • Most Commented
  • Editor’s Picks

Is Britain on the Brink of Civil War?

12 May 2025
by Joe Baron

The NHS No Longer Recognises the Reality of Biological Sex

13 May 2025
by Caroline Ffiske

It’s Not ‘CSE’. It’s Child Rape

13 May 2025
by Joanna Gray

Female Rugby Player Left With Major Injury After Horror Tackle From Transgender Opponent Asks: “How Was This Allowed to Happen?”

13 May 2025
by Will Jones

BBC Presenter Gary Lineker Posts Anti-Israel Video Featuring Rat Emoji – a Known Antisemitic Slur

13 May 2025
by Will Jones

BBC Presenter Gary Lineker Posts Anti-Israel Video Featuring Rat Emoji – a Known Antisemitic Slur

49

A Closer Look at ARIA: Britain’s Secretive £800 Million Sun-Dimming Quango

34

It’s Not ‘CSE’. It’s Child Rape

17

Female Rugby Player Left With Major Injury After Horror Tackle From Transgender Opponent Asks: “How Was This Allowed to Happen?”

16

Another Flaw in Ed Miliband’s Clean Power Agenda

16

Thirty-Five People Died the Same Day as Their Covid Shot – But Authorities Did Not Investigate

14 May 2025
by Rebekah Barnett

Another Flaw in Ed Miliband’s Clean Power Agenda

14 May 2025
by Ben Pile

It’s Not ‘CSE’. It’s Child Rape

13 May 2025
by Joanna Gray

The NHS No Longer Recognises the Reality of Biological Sex

13 May 2025
by Caroline Ffiske

A Closer Look at ARIA: Britain’s Secretive £800 Million Sun-Dimming Quango

13 May 2025
by Tilak Doshi

POSTS BY DATE

August 2024
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Jul   Sep »

SOCIAL LINKS

Free Speech Union
  • Home
  • About us
  • Donate
  • Privacy Policy

Facebook

  • X

Instagram

RSS

Subscribe to our newsletter

© Skeptics Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Articles
  • About
  • Archive
    • ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ROUND-UPS
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Premium
  • Donate
  • Log In

© Skeptics Ltd.

wpDiscuz
You are going to send email to

Move Comment
Perfecty
Do you wish to receive notifications of new articles?
Notifications preferences