Iraq Considers Legalising Marriage for Nine-Year-Olds
The Iraqi parliament is considering a law that would legalise marriage for nine-year-old girls. The ‘Personal Status law’ will also restrict women’s rights in matters of divorce and inheritance, making it much easier to men to abuse their spouses.
The draft law is based on the Jaafari School of Shia law, which was founded by the sixth Shia imam, Jaafar al-Sadiq. It was approved by Iraq’s Council of Ministers in February and must now be approved by the Iraqi parliament.
If passed, the law will apply to Iraq’s Shia Muslims, the majority of the population. Provisions include prohibiting Muslim men from marrying non-Muslim women, legalising rape inside marriage by declaring that a husband has a right to sex regardless of consent, and prohibiting women from leaving the house without their husband’s permission.
The age of marriage will also be lowered to nine years old for girls and 15 for boys. Girls below the age of nine will also be able to marry with their parents’ permission.
Another success story for the American empire. Anything, including Iron Age superstition, that keeps a populace docile and compliant is good.