YEMEN: Child divorcee Nujood Ali takes Manhattan

Sharing the bright lights with such luminaries as Sen. Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and movie star Nicole Kidman, 10-year-old child divorcee Nujood Ali and her attorney Shada Nasser were in the big city of New York this week as winners of Glamour magazine's 2008 Women of the Year award.

The trip completes Nujood's journey from a poor daughter of an unemployed laborer in the slums of a teeming city on the southern edge of Arabia to an international celebrity and women's rights symbol.

Nujood was married off earlier this year to a man three times her age. He sexually assaulted and physically abused her. But unlike other child brides in Yemen, she didn't suffer silently.

Spunky and precociously self-assured, she went to court and eventually found Nasser, who helped her get a divorce in what is widely considered the first such incident of its kind.

Nujood's ordeal, triumph and her eventual return to some semblance of normalcy as a schoolgirl were chronicled in the Los Angeles Times.

Arriving at Manhattan's Carnegie Hall after a long trip from Sana, Yemen, Nujood wore a colorful violet tribal gown and a yellow headband. She shyly took the stage alongside Yemeni human rights attorney Nasser to accept her award.

The pair were also featured in the November issue of Glamour magazine and have become cornerstones of a charity drive to raise funds to fight child marriage. Check out the video below, courtesy of Glamour's website, which gives you a sense of an event sparkling with stars like Tyra Banks and the camera flashes of the paparazzi.

A Reuters account of the event cited Glamour's statement about the award:

"With the help of human rights lawyer Shada Nasser... Yemeni child bride Nujood Ali took the stand against her husband in court, and was granted a historic divorce. ...Together Nasser and Ali are committed to saving other little girls from early marriage."

-- Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

Photo: Katie Couric (left), Nujood Ali (center) and Shada Nasser attend the 2008 Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Carnegie Hall on Monday in New York City. Credit: Brad Barket / Getty Images

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Comments

[doesn't matter]

How crummy is it that they show all of the lousy, degenerate hollyweirdos in the video clip but NOT the woman of the year Nujood Ali? THAT SUCKS someone who put the clip together needs a swift kick in the backside!

[Jaina]

Ajlouny,

I agree with you that Dylan's answer was extremely appropriate. However, I am dismayed that you seem to believe everyone in the US is ignorant of the fact that not all Muslim's believe in some of the coarser actions taken by men in recent years. I, for one, am well aware. Even at my small (and Christian founded) university, we were encouraged by our curriculum requirements to learn at least the basic tenants of most of the major cultures. Unfortunately, what you see online is often far from the best that the US has to offer.

I am glad that Dylan pointed out the rights that Islamic women have. My first thoughts upon reading this article were "Wow, what a strong spirit that girl had to go and exercise her rights!" and my second was, "Thank God this was an Islamic nation where a woman has the right to initiate a divorce!" In other undeveloped counties, as well as in the Christian past, a Christian girl in such a circumstance would have had no recourse! (And don't kid yourselves people, this type of thing happens in Christian countries too!) We should applaud both Islam and Yemen for their respect and forethought in ensuring that women had a legal say in their circumstances.

Even so, this girl wasn't a child bride 200 years ago who knew her village Imam would listen to her plea because she had the legal right. She was a 10-year-old girl who had been thrust by her parents into a marriage with a man who abused, even though the marriage itself was illegal under current Yemen law. She was a 10-year-old girl who had gone back to her mother and father with tears and tales of rape and beatings that were ignored. I am sure she's not the only one. I'm sure it has happened to (unfortunately) hundreds of girls. But THIS girl did not despair. THIS girl did not decide that God had ordained this punishment and decide to suffer in silence because her rights obviously meant nothing to the people around her. THIS girl knew her rights and persevered. She went to the court house, she stated her problem, and she braved the stand in order to get what was her legal due.

Some people are also saying that we are abusing her because we're not letting her get "back to normal". I think this is a little much. For one thing, it's not like this girl is NEVER at home and NEVER at school. In fact, I think most 10-year-olds would love a chance to visit New York and Paris. From what I understand, she's perfectly capable of asserting when enough is enough, and even ended her stay in Paris early so she could get back to school. She is remarkably mature for her years, and I think giving her a little fame and glory for her achievement is a GOOD thing. What she went through was terrible, but she had courage. Why should she not be rewarded for that? If nothing else, the better the publicity the more chance that other suffering children may see it and take hope.

She herself has said she now has a mission to help other girls like herself. From her past accomplishments, I think it would be foolish to believe she has become anyone's puppet. If what she wants to do is help other girls then a few trips to gain publicity and sponsorship are not asking to much, they are helping her accomplish her goal. Now, if someone were suggesting moving her away from Yemen into some sort of LA Bungalo or Vegs Penthouse in order to make a reality TV show - THAT would be taking advantage of her.

[idlsm]

islam is a disease and muslims are the victims of that disease. Islam has chained the followers legs and they know but not able to help it. How can they, their holiest prophet mohammed married a 9yr old aisha when he was 57 yrs old. This is the man they call as the finest example of prophethood.

[Ajlouny]

This little girl is courageous. She stood for herself and helped herself from a pathetic life with a man that should be considered a predator. The culture is rich in so many ways, but barbaric in others.

[Ferida]

Basically, Dylan has provided an excellent answer here, though most seem not to have read it, perhaps because it is so well-researched and eloquent.
What I find worrying about other responses is your immediate assumption that nobody in the Islamic world shares the outrage at child marriage -believe very many people do, marrying babies is not a normal standard. However, what is truly disturbing to me is your idea that your values are the superior ones. In this respect, I strongly suggest taking a good look in your own backyard, where in Utah similar marriages between girls as young as 12 and 13 to men in their fifties have taken place and still do.
Now ask yourself why I, living in the Middle East, seem capable enough of reading sufficient information about the US to be able to know that that is not the standard in the US, but you cannot do the same when it comes to the Islamic world?

[Charles Weatherly]

Michelle, you asked:

"what man in his right mind finds a 10 year old as a suitable wife?"

The answer: Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

Muhammad's favorite wife, A'isha, was only 6 years old when Muhammad married her.

Here are the verses from Islamic scripture detailing the marriage:

(Sunan of Abu Dawud, Volume 2, Verse 2116)
"A'isha said, 'The Apostle of Allah married me when I was seven years old. He had intercourse with me when I was 9 years old.'"

(Sahih Bukhari, Voume 7, Verse 65)
"Narrated A'isha that the prophet wrote the marriage contract with her when she was six years old and he consummated the marriage when she was nine years old."

(Sahih Muslim, Volume 8, Verse 3311)
"A'isha reported that Allah's Apostle married her when she was six years old, and she was taken to his house as a bride when she was nine (bride meaning sexually active), and her dolls were with her."

Yes, you read that right, "her dolls were with her".

How can a modern, Muslim man marry a 10 year old? As the saying goes in the Muslim community, "if it's good enough for Muhammad, then it's good enough for me."

(Willie Nelson)
"Mama's, don't let your babies grow up to be Muslim child brides."

Charles Weatherly,
Santa Barbara, California

[Dylan]

The courage of this young girl and the efforts of her lawyer should certainly be celebrated and applauded.

However, this is not the ground-breaking event that it is made out to be, at least when you're aware of the legal framework of Islam and its history. In practice, the rights of women might not always be respected in the way that the law intends them to be, but that should not be the basis of saying that Islam itself provides otherwise.

First, Islamic law does provide for divorces by women in general. Modern Islamic governments have at times made divorces difficult to obtain; however, divorce for cause has always been available to women. While it might be easier for a man to procure one, women can initiate divorces.

Second, particularly relevant to this case, Islamic law provides young brides with a mechanism to leave marriages. If a girl is married before she menstruates for the first time, that girl has the right to nullify the marriage after she begins menstruation. The basic reasoning is that at the time the girl first menstruates she becomes legally competent. Thus, she should be allowed to decide for herself whether to remain with her husband because before then her parents made any legally binding decisions for her. In the circumstances described in the article, the girl, even in an arranged marriage, would be able to nullify the marriage when she reached the age of competence. Of course, this isn't to say that she must remain in an abusive relationship until she reaches that age of competence because a divorce for cause would still be available to her.

For hundreds of years, there are recorded cases of young girls asserting this right of choice in Islamic courts, in addition to the use of normal divorce for cause.

Third, at the moment, I can't recall exactly the specific source of the prohibition against sexual contact with such a young bride; however, it is consistent with other laws and customs that such a bride not be sexually active until she has begun menstruation. Also, I believe that custom generally would prohibit it even later until it was safe for the girl. I understand that using menstruation as a starting point for sexual activity is not particularly laudable; however, it is an important distinction from the indirect implication of this new coverage that Islam as a religion condones sex acts with children so long as they are married. As is the case with Judaism, religions that developed when life expectancy was closer to 30-40 years often regard adulthood as beginning much earlier than our society-wide custom now ( think of bar/bat mitzvahs etc. as celebrations of new adulthood.)

What I'd most like to point out is that the people's reactions to this are primarily linked to the thought of abuse of a young child forced into a marriage, but it is important to disconnect those unfortunate actions by a specific individual (the abusive husband in this case) from Islam as a religion and a legal framework.

"Child brides" are upsetting to our sensibilities, but historically and in poorer parts of the world, it was a way to guarantee that your daughter would be cared for and provided with a better life than you would otherwise be able to give her.

Islam gives a fairly substantial amount of protections to young women in arranged marriages and older women in any marriage. There are certainly areas where Islamic clearly disfavors the rights of women, but that is not the case for all sections of the law.

As an editorial note, I am a American lawyer who has done a fair amount of studying of Islamic law and the Islamic world, but Islam is not my religion. I only mention the later part to point out my lack of any religious bias.

[Sato]

In response to the posting by Ching:

Yes, we as Americans are sometimes right in imposing some of our values on other countries. You may call it marriage in Yemen, but what this ten year old experienced is really child trafficking and child molestation. How can you ignore such an abomination. People chose to come and live in America and other Western countries because of our more progressive values and our constant strive to improve upon things.

[Bryant]

I don't think celebrating the victory of a child who was FORCED into marriage at an early age an imposition of American "values." The freedom to choose who you want to be with, how you want to live your life and what to make of yourself are basic human rights. She did an amazing thing considering the situations these girls face at such a young age.

[Sylvia]

Unbelievable! how can a man force a young girl to marry him and on top of the abuse, to be legal in this country!! God, I know this people has done this for centuries but believe me those morrons now days are so way different by all means than their ancestors...but you know what ?wheather this was done just for show biz..my heart goes to this girl and to many of the girls that are forced the same way too.

[Anu]

Ching, Angelique,
I come from India. Though child marriages are almost non-existant in India, dowry is a major problem. Also, uneducated parents attitude that girls are only fit to be married doesn't help that situation.
Therefore if one girl has the courage to stand up against the society illness, I think they should get as much publicity and support as possible. Only that will give other girls the courage to do the same thing.

[Fourth Generation]

Hey Ching, are you dense or you simply have the capacity of a baboon? The note reads that it was Nujood herself and her lawyer the ones that went to court and obtained a divorce in YEMEN!!!!!! No, it is not Americans imposing our wonderful system to others, is others exercising their own God given rights.

[Sarah]

Over here they are called pedophiles, over there they are called husbands. At least over there they at least attempt at being "decent" by marrying the child. That of course does not make it right in any light. Some people are simply sick and some sadly desperate.

[elaineous]

Something bothers me about this girl being taken away from her life to attend an event where big movie stars smile and show off their newest dress.

[amelia]

to CHING,

your ignorance of women's rights and HUMAN rights is disturbing. this is not about the US "imposing" beliefs on another culture. This is about dismantling the abusive, archaic, system of gender inequality in developing nations.

wake up. grown men marrying CHILDREN is beyond inhuman.

[Georgia Lockwood]

As long as women and girls are treated like cattle and spoils of war, catastrophic population growth will continue to ravage the earth. Until those problems are addressed on a global basis, questions of growing hunger and intractable wars are all moot.

[Ching]

This looks just like another case of us Americans imposing our "wonderful" system of values onto others. Because, obviously, we are so much better than those people in Yemen are.

[Angelique]

I can't help thinking that this girl is being used (again). If the LA Times covered her story accurately, I was under the impression she wanted to return to a 'normal' life: not be paraded around New York City to make wealthy white women feel like their lives are more meaningful because they support 'her' cause.

[Matt]

This girl's courage cannot be overstated or overcelebrated. Her lawyer is an inspiration for justice.

[michelle]

married at 10. thats a HUGE step backward in time, dont you think? in the dark ages... back when girls were experienced mothers by age 16, this article wouldnt seem strange, but for the 21st century its appalling. and shes such a beautiful girl too...

what man in his right mind finds a 10 year old as a suitable wife?