Top Saudi Cleric Backs Marriage of 10-Year-Old Girls

They're not too young, declares grand mufti
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 18, 2009 9:27 AM CST
Top Saudi Cleric Backs Marriage of 10-Year-Old Girls
Yemini Nujood Ali, 10, and lawyer Shada Nasser leave the stage after being honored at the Glamour Women of the Year awards last year. Nasser helped Ali divorce her abusive husband.   (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

The top Muslim cleric in Saudi Arabia has issued a statement supporting marriage for girls as young as 10, reports CNN. "Those who think she's too young are wrong and they are being unfair to her," he declared. The statement follows the refusal last month by a Saudi judge to annul a marriage between an 8-year-old girl and a 47-year-old man. The practice is coming under increasing criticism from women's and international organizations.
(More child brides stories.)

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