To BBC "World Have Your Say":
The BBC World Service interview with a Muhammad and a young woman, managed to discuss all the issues other than religion. Until the very end, when the interviewer touched on Islam very tentatively.
Of course interviewee Muhammad said Islam had nothing to do with preying on underage girls. As did the young woman.
But consider that Muhammad (the prophet) married Aisha at her age of 6 and consummated the marriage when she was 9, that Muhammad is normative for Muslims (the “perfect man”) and that as a result underage marriage is permitted in many Muslim countries, from Indonesia to Iran.
Recent figures on child brides show that there’s a 70% correlation between the percentage of the population in a country which hews to Islam and the percentage of underage marriage.
The interviewees, like so many, call on us to have a “real conversation” about the issues. Well, yes, let's. And that would involve having a “real conversation” about the responsibility of Islam in empowering the grooming of young women, because the Prophet did it.
BTW: I’m a “leftie” from way back, so it’ not just those horrid “far-right” folk who are concerned about this and about the responsibility that Islam has for it: even unto it’s being “inherent” in Islam (for it is...)
Peter F
Hong Kong
PS, UPDATE: while Muhammad (the interviewee) castigated the Pakistani men for "inappropriate" behaviour, (once, at the beginning of the interview) he questioned several times why the young girls were where they were. This is a variation of "they asked for it" argument, one which the feminist Sisterhood normally excoriates: except when it's Islam: the young lady interviewee gave Muhammad a pass on his version of blaming the victim.
The BBC World Service interview with a Muhammad and a young woman, managed to discuss all the issues other than religion. Until the very end, when the interviewer touched on Islam very tentatively.
Of course interviewee Muhammad said Islam had nothing to do with preying on underage girls. As did the young woman.
But consider that Muhammad (the prophet) married Aisha at her age of 6 and consummated the marriage when she was 9, that Muhammad is normative for Muslims (the “perfect man”) and that as a result underage marriage is permitted in many Muslim countries, from Indonesia to Iran.
Recent figures on child brides show that there’s a 70% correlation between the percentage of the population in a country which hews to Islam and the percentage of underage marriage.
The interviewees, like so many, call on us to have a “real conversation” about the issues. Well, yes, let's. And that would involve having a “real conversation” about the responsibility of Islam in empowering the grooming of young women, because the Prophet did it.
BTW: I’m a “leftie” from way back, so it’ not just those horrid “far-right” folk who are concerned about this and about the responsibility that Islam has for it: even unto it’s being “inherent” in Islam (for it is...)
Peter F
Hong Kong
PS, UPDATE: while Muhammad (the interviewee) castigated the Pakistani men for "inappropriate" behaviour, (once, at the beginning of the interview) he questioned several times why the young girls were where they were. This is a variation of "they asked for it" argument, one which the feminist Sisterhood normally excoriates: except when it's Islam: the young lady interviewee gave Muhammad a pass on his version of blaming the victim.
