The issue of child marriage has been under a lot of discussion recently. The trials of the two young teens seeking divorce is making news everywhere. The crux of the problem, however, is not that judgment is being delayed or in child marriage itself. The real problem is: Parents being good or bad for their children.
Children are under the custody of their parents. Father is primarily responsible for his family, so it is his duty to think and act in the best interest of his children. If the father is abusive, he may exploit his children in a number of ways. There's nothing much one could do about that. Parents are supposed to take care of their children and bring them up in the best manner possible, and most of them do that. Majority of parents - though ignorant of the best ways to parenting - do take sufficient care of their children in providing them what they need, including education. But there are parents who abuse them, trade them for money, and sometimes even kill them. This is not restricted to Saudi Arabia, it happens all around the world.
One of the improper ways societal problems are tackled by the ruling class of the world is by putting a full stop to any conservative practice through which abuse may occur. Marriage is one such example. Though not criticized openly, the trend in the Western world is to replace 'marriage' with what-they-call 'living with a partner.' Why? Domestic violence! Abuse of women by husbands! This set-up allows men and women to satisfy their animal desires without being committed or bonded to each other, they can walk-out any time. Such relationships end quickly. Living with a partner is an advanced stage, today's most widely practiced phenomenon in the West is 'hooking up,' described by Charles Blow in New York Times, which is more of a one-night-stand.
The problems with such alternatives are many, and it doesn't solve the problem it sought to tackle in the beginning. Abuse continues. Majority of the rapes in the US are committed by a known person, most likely a 'friend,' and they are not decreasing.
Family is an institution. There is commitment between the spouses, they share responsibilities, and sacrifice for achieving common goals. It is an institution because family nurtures and prepares a generation that will inherit the world tomorrow. Family, in short, is the DNA of society. If families disintegrate, societies will follow.
Though in today's world the term "child marriage" is taboo and perceived as an extreme form of abuse, historically the law to allow minors getting married, which Islam does approve of, was not meant to be a form of abuse. The question on who is a minor and who is not is not hasn't been well addressed. However, some of the marriage practices in Saudi society are not Islamic, and go back to the pre-Islamic times.
All this and more in the next post Insha Allah...
