Child Marriage in Philadelphia

Rajmann Sanders & Abused Child-Bride
Philadelphia Mosques are once again subject to controversy.  Several weeks ago a video from a Philadelphia Mosque stirred up controversy where it showed young children calling for Jihadist violence against Israel and "praising the martyrs."  Now reports are coming out that underage girls have been forcibly married in a Philadelphia Mosque against their will.  In a video released two weeks ago, a 17-year-old girl claimed that she was married at the age of 14 to a man by the name of Rajmann Sanders.

 Rajmann is more than twice her age.  The young girl claims that her husband not only abused her, but sexually assaulted her 10-year-old sister.  Rajmann has now been arrested and the Masjid Uthman Dan Fodiyo Mosque that they attended is now under investigation.  
The issue of "child brides is not an isolated one.  It's been an ongoing practice in many areas of the world since ancient times, though for years there has been a growing world-wide movement to ban the practice altogether.  Unfortunately, it's a particular problem in many Islamic communities of the world.  It is documented in Islamic biographical text (Hadith) that Muhammad, the man that Muslims consider a prophet and founder of the Islamic faith, married a girl by the name of Aisha, the six-year-old daughter of his close friend, Abu Bakr (Muhammad was 50 at the time).  It was also written that Muhammad later consummated the marriage when Aisha reached the age of nine.  This has led many Muslim clerics and leaders to believe that child marriage is an acceptable practice.  As a result, young Muslim girls have been forcibly married off to grown men against their will all over the world.  

 One of the most famous cases was that of Nujood, a 9-year-old girl from Yemen who was married against her will to a man in his 30's.  For months she was beaten by her in laws and raped by her husband until she ran away and obtained a divorce.  This is also becoming a problem in Western nations as a number of Muslim communities believe that Sharia Law should be followed over State Law.  It remains to be seen if the investigation of the Masjid Uthman Dan Fodiyo will uncover more cases of forced marriage and child abuse, only time will tell.  

 Sources:

Ali, Nujood & Delphine Minoui.  I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced.  New York: Broadway Paperbacks, 2010.

Mondon, Marielle.  "Alleged Sexual Assault Victim Claims she was Married Underage at Philadelphia Mosque."  PhillyVoice.  March 15, 2019.  Accessed from https://www.phillyvoice.com/philadelphia-mosque-alleged-underage-marriage-sexual-assault/

Pradelli, Chad.  "Exclusive: Sex Allegations Lead to Child Bride Investigation at Philly Mosque."  ABC News.  March 14, 2019.  Accessed from https://6abc.com/sex-allegations-lead-to-child-bride-investigation-at-philly-mosque/5194053/.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Honor Killing in Chicago

Image
On Jan. 23rd, 2024, 63-year-old Palestinian-Muslim resident Maher Kassem was arrested by the police for murdering his wife Majeda Kassem as well as his three adult daughters.  Police report this to be a clear case of domestic violence while Maher is on record stating that he felt his family didn't appreciate him and treat him in the manner that he deserved to be treated.   "The defendant was recorded volunteering things about having just retired, and that 'She treats me like a [expletive] dog," said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Scott Clark. "'I worked 40 years.' and 'I worked all my life to give my family a better home, and they treat me like  [expletive].'"   A family member of Majeda Kassem said there was constant verbal abuse going on in the home - adding that Kassem's wife contemplated leaving, but stayed for the sake of her children. Maher Kassem Maher Kassem & His Three Daughters Muslim-American activists claim tha...
Read more

Apartheid in the Middle East

Image
THE MIDDLE EAST'S REAL APARTHEID By Efraim Karsh "Israel Apartheid Week his cities and campuses throughout the world.  This charge, of course, is not only completely false, but the inverse of the truth.  If apartheid is indeed a crime against humanity, Israel is actually the only apartheid-free state in the Middle East.  By contrast, apartheid has been an integral part of the Middle East for over a millennium, and the Arab Muslim nations continue to legally, politically, and socially enforce this discriminatory practice against their hapless minorities. Religious Intolerance:  Muslims historically viewed themselves as distinct from, and superior to, all non-Muslims.  Non-Muslims, known in history as "Dhimmis," never enjoyed equal rights under Islam.  Even non-ruling Muslim factions have been historically oppressed by their dominant co-religionists Ethnic inequality:  This legacy of intolerance extends beyond the religious sphere...
Read more

ISIS Terrorists Slaughter Christians in the Congo

Image
For years the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been a region of great instability & violence with a dozen armed groups and over 100 criminal gangs operating in the Eastern region of the DRC alone.  Among those groups is the Allied Democratic Forces, a Jihadists terrorist organization that pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2018.  During the month of June, the group claimed responsibility for attacks that killed over 150 Christian villagers, 38 killed on the 8th of June alone.  The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) recently released images posted by the Allied Democratic Forces on a Telegram account that detailed some of the recent horrific attacks.   Christian Villagers Slaughtered by the ADF Militants These Jihadists Militants, armed with guns & machetes, attacked soldiers and civilians alike.  Images revealed dozens of victims, some of whom were shot while others had their hands tied behind their backs & their throats slashed, clearl...
Read more