An Islamist wrote:
The West denounces Islamic Sharia for marrying a 9-year-old girl and demands that Muslims should not wed their daughters until they are 18 years old. But the West doesn't feel ashamed that young girls are having sex at the age of 9 to 11 years in their own Western societies. The West is hypocrite.
Response:
What? At 9 to 11 years? While there might be a few exceptional cases at 12 years in the West, this is by no means the norm. Typically, children start exploring sexual activity around when they are14-15 years old, with the average age being about 16-17 years (Sourc3 1 and Source 2).
Furthermore, even if girls in the West engage in sexual activity at the age of 14, it's not typically with middle-aged men. Rather, they're often involved with classmates they have a crush on, who are of similar age. An older person can easily manipulate young kids, but a 14-year-old kid in not in such a powerful position to manipulate others. In contrast, in Islam, 9 to 12 years old girls are married with men ranging from 14 to over 50 years old.
In the Western context, the age requirements for sexual activity are as follows:
- 18 years for marriage.
- 16 years for marriage with parental consent.
- 14 years with consent if both parties are underage.
If individuals under the age of consent (14) engage in activities beyond kissing, it's generally regarded as a matter for parents to address, as both minors may not fully comprehend the risks involved. If one person is a minor and the other isn't, the adult could face significant legal repercussions.
The Western Solution is not 100% Perfect, but it is still the BEST
First of all, unlike Islamic societies, the West realizes that NATURE is not 100% PERFECT for humans. There is no 100% perfect Allah present in the heavens who created 100% perfect nature for us. No, but nature follows its own path, and we, humans, have to make COMPROMISES and adapt ourselves according to nature.
The West understands that getting a period at 11 does not mean that a girl has also matured mentally, and is ready to get children and to lead a marriage life. The West understands the EXTREME DANGERS to both teen mothers and their babies (link).
In simple words, nature is not working optimally for humans. Although, the desire to have sex and conceive is possible physically in a few exceptional cases, but mentally an 11-year-old girl is not mature and physically too it comes with huge dangers to her and her baby.
That is why the West doesn't encourage sex at the age of 11 to 14.
But what to do if, in some exceptional case, some kids get sexual desire and get involved in sexual activities at this age?
Should the West declare it a crime and then start lashing those kids 100 times in public?
No, but the West tackles this problem:
- By giving "sex education" to kids at this age.
- The West decriminalize it, so that kids can easily and without any fear ask for help. Otherwise, such a thing will only go underground and will cause even more problems.
The List of FLAWS in the Islamic System:
The 1st Flaw: Teen parents cannot provide effective parenting:
Teen parents face significant challenges in providing effective parenting. Not only are they still developing physically, emotionally, and mentally themselves, but they also lack the necessary life experience, financial stability, and social support to raise a child successfully. How can they be expected to provide adequate care, guidance, and nurturing to their babies when they are still learning to navigate their own lives? Furthermore, teenage parents are more likely to struggle with stress, anxiety, and depression, which can negatively impact their ability to create a stable and loving environment for their children. As a result, it's crucial to consider the long-term consequences of teenage parenthood and provide support and resources to help young parents overcome these challenges.
The 2nd Flaw: Extreme Health Dangers to teen mothers and their babies
Islamists consider nature to be 100% perfect, as it has been made by their 100% perfect Allah. Thus, if a small girl starts menstruating at 9 years, then they believe she is ready for being used as a sexual object by her husband, and to become a baby-producing machine, so that their prophet could boast about great numbers of his Ummah.
They altogether DENY all scientific studies, which are unanimous about extreme DANGERS to both teen mothers and their babies.
However, the scientific studies tell us:
- Teen mothers who give birth aged 15–19 are more than twice as likely to die as those in their 20s. Teen mothers aged 15 or under had an odds ratio for maternal death four times higher than women aged 20–24 (Scientific Study). "The greatest danger, however, is to the pelvic floor. Girls may start ovulating and menstruating as early as age 9, though the average is around 12 to 13 ... Just because a girl can get pregnant, though, doesn't mean she can safely deliver a baby. The pelvis does not fully widen until the late teens, meaning that young girls may not be able to push the baby through the birth canal. The results are horrific, said Wall and Thomas, who have both worked in Africa treating women in the aftermath of such labors. Girls may labor for days; many die. Their babies often don't survive labor either (Scientific Study). The women and girls who do survive often develop fistulas, which are holes between the vaginal wall and the rectum or bladder. When the baby's head pushes down and gets stuck, it can cut portions of the mother's soft tissue between its skull and her pelvic bones. As a result, the tissue dies, and a hole forms. Faeces and urine then leak through the hole and out of the vagina. Women with fistulas are often divorced and shunned. And young girls are at higher risk."
- Early motherhood can affect the psychosocial development of the infant. The children of teen mothers are more likely to be born prematurely with a low birth weight, predisposing them to many other lifelong conditions.[32] Children of teen mothers are at higher risk of intellectual, language, and socio-emotional delays.[30] Developmental disabilities and behavioral issues are increased in children born to teen mothers.[33][34] One study suggested that adolescent mothers are less likely to stimulate their infant through affectionate behaviors such as touch, smiling, and verbal communication, or to be sensitive and accepting toward their needs.[33] Poor academic performance in the children of teenage mothers has also been noted, with many of the children being held back a grade level, scoring lower on standardized tests, and/or failing to graduate from secondary school.[26] Sons born to teenage mothers are three times more likely to serve time in prison.[37] (Source)
Moreover, teen parents are potentially not able to do good parenting. They are not even able to take care of themselves, how then are they going to properly take care of their babies?
The 3rd Flaw: Savage punishments for 9-12-year-old kids
- Islam considers 9 to 14-year-old girls to be ready to be married (even to any old man too) and used as sexual objects but doesn't consider that they can also have natural sexual desires and may be involved in sexual activities with boys of their own age. Thus, Islam criminalizes the sex of 9 or 14-year-old kids (even if they are not married) and gives savage punishments of 80 lashes and even stoning till death (if they are married) to these 9-14-year-old kids too.
These barbarian punishments ultimately compel teen mothers and their families to fear for their lives and honour and to never ask for help, but to go underground.
The 4th Flaw: A father can marry her minor daughter even without her consent to another man
It is not about the "consent" of a girl, but Islamic Sharia gives the father the right to wed his minor daughter to any old man even without her consent. Actually, a father can wed her at any age. Abu Bakr wed Aisha to Muhammad when she was only 6 years old and never asked her for her consent.
Even if Islamists claim that a father needs to ask for consent from a 6-year-old, or a 9-year-old child girl, it is still useless as they are not mentally mature enough to give their consent to marry a 50-year-old man.
The 5th Flaw: Islam allows a father to wed his breastfeeding child daughter too
Actually, Islamic Sharia also allows a man to wed a breastfed baby girl, undress her, and drive all kinds of sexual pleasures with her naked body, except for penetration. Yes, there is no condition of being 9 years old for sexual activity in Islam. This misconception came while marriage with 'Aisha was consummated at the age of 9. Please read our detailed article: Islam: Even a Breastfed Baby Girl Can Be Married and Used for Sexual Pleasure
Difference between sexual pleasure at 14, and compulsory Responsibilities of Marriage at 9
- The West is not against the natural desire to have sex. Many Western countries allows kids of 14 years to be involved in sexual activities with consent (source). A 14-year-old kid is already somewhat mentally mature and understands the risks of sexual activities. A 14-year-old kid is also not totally helpless, and he/she is in a position to defend himself/herself (if needed).
- But the age of consent for marriage is 18 years, as marriage is not only about "sex", but it comes with many more "responsibilities" and more mental maturity is needed.
Thus, the West also separated sexual pleasure from the "responsibilities" of marriage. These are the responsibilities of marriage which break the youth at this tender age.
A marriage of a girl at 9 years in Islamic societies means:
-
Marriage always comes with RESPONSIBILITIES. The girl has to leave the house of her parents and move to the house of her husband. This is a huge psychological burden for small girls. Especially in a joint family system, the girl has to face her in-laws the whole day long in the same house.
-
She has to provide her husband sex services on demand. It is then no more about enjoying sex, but it becomes an abuse.
-
Then Islam turned her into a child-producing machine at 9, while the Islamic Prophet wanted to feel proud over other prophets due to the large number of his Ummah. Islamic society gives no sex education to their teen daughters so that they can avoid unwanted pregnancies.
Thus, although the West allows to enjoy sexual life at the age of 14, the age of marriage is 18. It is to safeguard the interests and health of teen mothers and their babies.
Objections by Islam Apologists:
Objection:
It is better for a child/teen girl to marry an older man, as opposed to having sex and potentially becoming an unmarried teen mother.
Response:
Please note that TEEN mothers exist only in semi-religious Western countries and especially in Christian/Islamic religious families (like in the US, where abortion is illegal or families don't allow their teen daughters to abort).
As far as non-religious Western families are concerned, then the rate of teen mothers has almost reduced to Zero, while they have the right to ABORT the fetus in case of unwanted pregnancy (like in Switzerland).
Moreover, Children are perfectly safe in Western countries, even in cases of teen mothers.
While all psychiatrists concur that the presence of both parents is ideal for children, they also recognize that a single parent can still provide a "good enough upbringing" that allows children to grow into responsible members of society.
This means that even a single mother is capable of providing her children with a good enough upbringing.
Some Islamic preachers may disagree, but it is a reality that many Pakistani/Bengali/Indian Muslim men leave their families behind to work in Gulf countries, resulting in their wives raising their children alone as single parents. These children may not see their fathers for extended periods, yet they still thrive.
However, when the same situation occurs in Europe, then Islamic preachers start claiming that there are numerous issues with single-parent households. They fail to acknowledge that in European societies, fathers typically maintain regular contact with their children, including weekend visits and holiday time, which amounts to more interaction than children of absent fathers in Gulf countries experience.
Objection:
Mass pornography and the fact that it is being deliberately made available to children as young as 5 or 6 in the West, is not "discouraging" sexuality, on the contrary.
Response:
It is a false allegation. No one is deliberately making pornography available to 5 or 6-year-olds in the West, but there is a restriction of 18 years upon pornography.
Objection:
Same goes for the increasing trend in western media to portray children and young teenagers in a sexualized manner or making them mimic adults.
Response:
We understand that the West is not 100% free of all shortcomings.
Criticism of it is already present in Western societies and we are constantly reforming our societies. Thus, movies and dramas are no longer presenting young kids as sexual objects as much as it was happening in the past.
Moreover, religious people cry for dramas and films where kids play the roles, but they forget that their religion is worse here while it allows marriage and sexual activities with minor girls of 5 or 6 years too.
Moreover, they also forget that Islam prohibited slave women from wearing Hijabs and made them move in public with naked breasts. So, what message did Islam send to small children with half-naked slave women in public? What message did Islamic Bazaars of slavery send to small children where those half-naked slave women were put for auction, where Muslim customers were also allowed to touch their bodies? Was it any less than porno films? LINK
Objection:
Sex classes are compulsory for children in shcools, not optional.
Response:
Of course, sex education classes are compulsory and they should not be optional as the probability is already present that young kids may indulge in sexual activities due to natural desire for sex (or due to the danger that someone can rape them due to their innocence). It is there to ensure the safety of kids.
The same probability is also present in Islamic countries of young kids indulging in sexual activities, but Islamic societies just turn a blind eye to this fact. Very often, Islamic Scholars in Quran Schools take advantage of this absence of sex education, and they indeed rape many children.
Objection:
And their goal (i.e. sex education) is not to help children avoid supposed "dangers", but very much to sexualize them at young age,
Response:
False. Sex education is about making kids aware of the dangers, which are related to sexual activities. How can sex education cause the sexualization of kids?
Objection:
and also to dissociate biological and "assumed" gender identity in their poor innocent minds, as per the injunctions of the predominant homosexualist ideology.
Response:
Homosexuality is a part of Human Nature and of human society. The religious system is at fault here as it goes against Nature. Please read our article: Homosexuality (All Objections of Islamic Preachers Answered)
Look, no one teaches kids in any Islamic Country to be homosexual, but all kids are taught Islamic teachings which portray homosexuality as the biggest sin etc. But despite all this religious brainwashing, many Muslim kids start showing homosexual behaviour right from their childhood, and as adults, they fall in LOVE with a same-sex person, while this thing is present in their nature.
Conclusion:
Once you see through all their reasonings, it makes you realize how disgusting their motives are. They don't want an equal life partner that they can love and share things with, they merely want broodmares who are not aware of their rights, and who have not yet had time to find their own voice. Islamic marriage system is nothing but a way to turn women into subservient appendages with no standing of their own.
Hassan Radwan