by Timothy Whiteman
The Examiner
The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, or on formal occasions, Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Lateef Aal ash-Shaikh (photo – left), has given the official thumbs-up for Muslim men to marry girls as young as 10.
According to the Australian news portal The World Observer, the Grand Mufti also criticized those who desire to raise the minimum age of marriage to 25.
While lecturing at Imam Mohamed bin Saud Islamic University in the Saudi capitol of Riyadh, the Sheikh stated:
“Those who call for raising the age of marriage to 25 are absolutely mistaken.
“Our mothers and grandmothers got married when they were barely 12.
Good upbringing makes a girl ready to perform all marital duties at that age”
As reported, the above response was from a question asked by a female attendee about marrying minor girls without their consent.
The World Observer also cites:
“Last year a similar fatwa, or religious ruling, by Salafi preacher Sheikh Mohamed al-Maghrawi allowing girls as young as nine to marry was condemned by Morocco’s Supreme Scientific Council.
The council said it lacked religious validity because it was based on only one case—the marriage of Prophet Mohamed (pbuh) to Aisha bint Abu-Bakr.”
Not His First Controversial Ruling…
As previously covered by Examiner.com, the cleric last month stated that it was:
“Necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.”
There are at least two members of the Kuwaiti Parliament that support the Mufti’s admonition.
Rather Large Stick…
According to Islamic expert Raymond Ibrahim, the clout wielded by the Grand Mufti is considerable:
“He is the Grand Mufti of the nation that brought Islam to the world.
Moreover, he is the President of the Supreme Council of Ulema [Islamic scholars] and Chairman of the Standing Committee for Scientific Research and Issuing of Fatwas.
Accordingly, when it comes to what Islam teaches, his words are immensely authoritative.”
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