Category Archives: forced marriage

Pair charged with forcible confinement in suspected arranged-marriage case

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H/T Taffy in Canada

Edmonton Journal:

By Mariam Ibrahim, Edmonton Journal November 8, 2012
Pair charged with forcible confinement in suspected arranged-marriage case

Edmonton Court House

Photograph by: Edmonton Journal file , Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON – A man and woman are facing charges for allegedly assaulting and confining a 21-year-old woman against her will in a south Edmonton home after she refused to take part in a forced marriage outside of Canada.

Police were called to reports of a family dispute around 11:30 p.m. at a home in south Edmonton on Feb. 6 this year, Edmonton police said Thursday.

They found a 21-year-old woman who was being forcibly confined in her house.

Police say the woman was being forced to take part in a marriage outside of Canada, but did not say where. When the woman refused the marriage, she was assaulted and confined in the home, police allege.

Court records show the weapons allegedly used in the assault are an electrical cord and a laptop computer.

Few other details were provided by police. “It’s for the protection of the victim,” police spokeswoman Noreen Remtulla said.

On Tuesday, nine months to the day after the initial incident, hate crimes investigators laid several charges in the case.

Muhammad Rafi, 59, is charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, one count of assault and one count of forcible confinement. Najma Khokhar, 49, is charged with forcible confinement and assault. Both were released Wednesday on $1,000 bail and are slated to make their first appearances in an Edmonton court on Dec. 19.

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Girls, 12, married off in UK

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Before I post this article I would like to say something I feel is really very important and simply never gets mentioned or noticed.

In articles like this, even in Western papers and even in papers that understand the issues to a degree, they still use the enemies words. A weapon pointed at ourselves.

This, my dear readers, is in no way marriage.

When Muslims use the word marriage they know perfectly well what it evokes in us. A consensual hopefully loving committed relationship between 2 people capable of granting consent. I am not certain but I suspect that there are adults in mental institutions that probably cannot legally be married in our various systems as they are not legally capable of signing a document. I could be wrong about that but it is universally agreed that a 12 year old is not capable of making critical decisions for themselves that last a lifetime. I do not believe it is legal even for a tattoo parlor to give a child that young a tattoo.

Chanting a few words and exchanging a few dollars or camels is NOT marriage in exactly the same way the Muslim Brotherhood’s ‘Freedom and Justice Party’ has exactly nothing to do with freedom and justice but really is about the freedom for them to impose Islamic justice in the form of sharia on everyone else in the world starting with Egypt.

In that spirit, I post this article:

From The SUN UK

Posed by model

Underage … girl (posed by model)

Girls, 12, married off in UK

By SIMON HUGHES
Published: 10th September 2012

BRITISH Muslim imams are offering to conduct marriages with child brides as young as 12, it was claimed yesterday.

It is feared it could lead to underage sex. An investigator posed as a father wanting to marry off his 12-year-old daughter to an older husband.

Retired imam Abdul Haq, who worships at East London’s Shoreditch Mosque, allegedly told him: “Tell people it’s an engagement but it will be a marriage. In Islam, once the girl reaches puberty parents have the right.

“Nobody should know about this. If she talks in school, social workers will take her. You and I will be in trouble.”

Imam Mohamed Kassamali, of Husaini Islamic Centre in Peterborough, told the investigator he would marry a bride of 12. He allegedly said: “I’d love the girl to go to her husband’s house as soon as possible, the younger the better.”

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Italy: Moroccan severely beats daughter in mall for refusing veil

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ADNKronos:

H/T Hermes

last update: August 10, 16:22
Modena, 10 Aug. (AKI) – Italian police have charged a Moroccan man for recently severely injuring his daughter when he beat her in a shopping mall in northern Italy for not wearing a veil.
As a minor, a restraining order had been placed on the woman’s family when she reported a difficult living situation to family services, according to the Gazzetta di Modena newspaper.

Trouble started when her refusal to don a veil and accept an arranged marriage, the paper said.

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BCF: An “anti-oppressive, anti-racist position” means never having to mention Islam…

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From Blazing Cat Fur:

I have been wondering about the issue of Forced Marriage in Canada in light of efforts by in the UK to combat this repugnant practice. Let’s look at at some facts regarding the make-up of the UK’s case load. The UK’s Forced Marriage Unit records that  “65 percent of its cases involved Pakistani nationals and 25 percent involved Bangladeshi nationals“. In other words 85% of it’s total case load.  In an article published in the Montreal Gazette in June of this year the FMU reports that “46 per cent of the nearly 600 cases of forced marriage it dealt with between January and May this year involved Pakistani nationals” alone.

Pakistan and Bangladesh are Muslim nations and while other cultures do engage in the practice of forced marriage it is a safe bet to state that it is most prevalent within Islamic cultures. Which leads me to wonder at Canada’s effort to combat Forced Marriage.  In my search I came across this organization; AMFM Canada- the Alliance of Multicultural Agencies Against Forced Marriage in Canada which runs the “Forced Marriage Project”.

AMFM states that their project is: “… an awareness and education initiative. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of women, girls, men and boys in Canada are affected by forced marriage; however it is an issue that has not as yet been adequately addressed in Canada. As such, we approach the issue of forced marriage from an anti-oppressive, anti-racist position, viewing it primarily as a form of violence against women, which is sometimes used to control men and boys as well, and we seek to address it along with other forms of violence and domestic abuse.

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Muslim preacher who tried to strangle his daughter, 16, for refusing an arranged marriage to her cousin spared jail

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Anyone think this guy has a restaurant that makes it worth it?

Daily Mail:

  • Abid Hussain grabbed his daughter around the neck after she rejected wedding plans
  • Her two brothers were also convicted of assault
  • All three were handed suspended jail terms

By David Baker

PUBLISHED: 08:36 GMT, 28 July 2012 | UPDATED: 21:40 GMT, 28 July 2012

Free to go: Abid Hussain leaving Manchester Crown Court where the Muslim preacher who tried to strangle his 16-year old daughter avoided jail Free to go: Abid Hussain leaving Manchester Crown Court where the Muslim preacher who tried to strangle his 16-year old daughter avoided jail

A Muslim preacher who tried to strangle his 16-year old daughter after she refused to enter into an arranged marriage with her cousin has avoided jail.

Abid Hussain, 56, grabbed the neck of Rabiyah Abid and said: ‘If you don’t follow my rules I will kill you’ after she rejected his plans for her to wed.

Hussain also left the teenager in fear of her life as he battered her about the head at the family home above the mosque he runs at Longsight, Manchester.

The father-of-five had snapped after discovering Rabiyah refused to follow strict Islamic tradition and embarked on a romance with a student she had met on Facebook.

She had previously run away from home to be with him and even helped police draw up a court order banning her father from forcing her into the marriage.

At Manchester Crown Court yesterday Hussain was convicted of assault and making threats to kill. He admitted his daughter’s conduct had ‘brought shame’ on his family and caused him ‘mental torture’ but denied wrongdoing.

His two sons Nawab Uddin, 23, and Bahaud Uddin, 21 were also convicted of assaulting the teen.

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England: Muslim cleric threatens to kill daughter for refusing marriage

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Examiner:

“Follow my rules or I’ll kill you…”

Imam Abid Hussain is about to face Her Majesty’s judicial system as he faces trial in Manchester, England for threatening to murder his own daughter.

The victim, 16-year-old Rabiyah Abid, reportedly refused her father’s plan for an arraigned marriage to her first cousin, currently residing in Pakistan.

According to the Manchester Evening News, upon being told that his daughter was involved with someone else of her own choosing, Hussain reportedly:

“grabbed her by the throat and said, ‘follow my rules or I’ll kill you’, before hitting her on the head at the family home above the mosque he runs at Northmoor Road, Longsight, Manchester.”

The Muslim cleric denies assaulting and threatening the life of his child.

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It’s a Family Affair…

Hussain also stands trial with two of his sons, Nawab Uddin, 23, and Bahaud Uddin, 21.

It’s reported that the duo:

“robbed their sister of the mobile phone she used to contact the boyfriend they disapproved of and to have beaten her until she was dizzy.

They deny assault and robbery.”

It was also alleged that the brothers beat the girl so badly, she had to wear a veil to conceal the injuries.

For the Prosecution…

Crown Prosecutor Henry Blackshaw said of Hussain:

“He is plainly a devout man retaining traditional values regarding family matters, which is the reason for what we say was the offending in this case, because his daughter was not going along with his wishes in following that cultural duty.”

Imam Abid Hussain and friends.
Imam Abid Hussain and friends.
Photo credit:
menmedia.co.uk

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Mother of eight drugged and kidnapped her daughter, 23, because she refused arranged marriage to her cousin

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Daily Mail:

  • Shamin Akhtar of Bradford, West Yorkshire, was unanimously found guilty by a jury at Preston Crown Court
  • Detectives have described the mother-of-eight’s crime ‘as every child’s worst nightmare’
  • Victim was persuaded to have some warm milk, which made her feel dizzy and made her sick
  • Father and sister were both cleared – outside court the victim’s father Mohammed Khan said: ‘I miss my daughter’

By Liz Hull

PUBLISHED: 15:42 GMT, 13 June 2012 | UPDATED: 22:57 GMT, 13 June 2012

A Muslim mother faces a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of drugging and kidnapping her own daughter when she broke off an arranged marriage and secretly married another man.

Shamim Akhtar, 59, plotted with close relatives to abduct her youngest daughter, Naila Afsar, 25, after she refused to marry her first cousin and ran away to marry her lover, Afsar Saddiq.

When her family discovered what she had done they threatened to kill her, before giving her a drink laced with a prescription sedative and driving her back to the family home.

Guilty: Shamin Akhtar, 58, was accused has been found guilty of drugging and kidnapping her daughter
Shamrez Khan, 34,

Shamin Akhtar left) was unanimously found guilty by a jury after a four week trial at Preston Crown Court and her son Shamrez Khan, 34, (right) , and her son-in-law Zahid Mahmood also pleaded guilty to false imprisonment, kidnap and two counts of administering a drug with intent

Forced marriage: 120 cases a month this year as David Cameron outlaws ‘virtual slavery’

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The Telegraph:

 Almost 600 people have come forward in the past five months to raise the alarm over fears they are about to be forced to marry against their will, it emerged last night as David Cameron unveiled plans to make it a crime.

Forced marriage: 120 cases a month this year as David Cameron outlaws ‘virtual slavery’

Forced marriage: 120 cases a month this year as David Cameron outlaws ‘virtual slavery’ Photo: ALAMY

By , Social Affairs Editor

6:00AM BST 08 Jun 2012

The Home Office released details of the caseload of the Government’s dedicated Forced Marriage Unit showing that it has been handling around 120 cases a month.

The figures suggest a rise in the number children under threat of forced marriage, with 14 per cent of those dealt with aged under 15, compared with 10 per cent last year.

There was also a handful of homosexual people fearing they are being forced into a marriage and 25 of those who came forward were disabled, some severely.

But the figures are thought to be the tip of the iceberg with some estimates suggesting the real instance of forced marriage could be up to five times that amount.

Mr Cameron and Theresa May, the Home Secretary, are announcing plans to make forced marriage a crime today after rejecting claims that banning the practice would simply drive it underground.

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Parents who force their children into marriage to face up to five years in jail in new crackdown

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Daily Mail:

 

By James Millbank

PUBLISHED: 18:28 EST, 2 June 2012 | UPDATED: 18:29 EST, 2 June 2012

Families who coerce their children into a forced marriage could face up to five years in jail under legislation to be announced by the Prime Minister this week.

The new law will criminalise the practice, which occurs in some ethnic communities.

Forcing someone into wedlock would become a criminal offence in its own right under the proposals.

Banned: Families who force their children into marriage could face up to five years in jail Banned: Families who force their children into marriage could face up to five years in jail

Breaching an existing forced marriage civil protection order – which prevents a young person being made to marry against their will – would also be a criminal act, punishable by five years in prison.

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Father sells 12-year-old daughter in Antalya: report

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n 12773 4A father in the southern Antalya province allegedly sold his pre-teen daughter after signing a contract with a businessmen 40 years her elder, daily Hürriyet reported today.

The father received 5,000 Turkish Liras after signing the contract which stated clearly that he had sold his daughter and was paid the money “in advance.” The contract also read that both the father and the daughter consented to the transaction.

The scandal was revealed when the daughter informed her teacher at school that she had been taken to a hotel and raped by the man who had “bought” her from her father. The teacher immediately passed the information onto local police. A judicial case, however, did not begin until yesterday because police had been unable to locate the businessman for six years.

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H/T Don L with thanks

Men dressed as run-away tables at Italian restaurants claim girls are ready to be married at 10

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Is it halloween already? To be honest, i am not sure which galls me more. The idea that women can be married off at 10 years old, or the actual redefinition of the word ‘marriage’ in the first place. When what they really mean is a sex-slave. I suppose once you remove the notion that consent is necessary from women, both things are the same.

Elder of Ziyon:

Progress!

What’s he daydreaming about?

The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia has reportedly voiced his support for the marriage of under-age females in the kingdom, while condemning those who seek to raise the legal marriage age.

A girl is ready to marry at 10 or 12 years of age according to Islam, London-based Al Hayat reported Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al Sheikh as saying, adding that Islamic law is not repressive to women.

“Those who call for raising the age of marriage to 25 are absolutely mistaken,”Al Sheikh said in a lecture at the faculty of Imam Mohamed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.

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Girls ready for marriage at 12 – Saudi Grand Mufti

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Arabian Business:

  • Tuesday, 24 April 2012 1:00 PM 
Saudi's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh. (AFP/Getty Images)

Saudi’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh. (AFP/Getty Images)

The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia has reportedly voiced his support for the marriage of under-age females in the kingdom, while condemning those who seek to raise the legal marriage age.

A girl is ready to marry at 10 or 12 years of age according to Islam, London-based Al Hayat reported Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al Sheikh as saying, adding that Islamic law is not repressive to women.

“Those who call for raising the age of marriage to 25 are absolutely mistaken,”Al Sheikh said in a lecture at the faculty of Imam Mohamed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.

He added: “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.”

The Grand Mufti’s statement came following discussions by the Justice Ministry to set a minimum age for marriage.

The conservative Kingdom is facing strong pressure to raise the minimum age for marriage, following international criticism of cases involving children forced into wedlock with older men.

In 2010, for instance, the Saudi Human Rights Commission, a government affiliated group, hired a lawyer to help a 12-year old girl divorce her 80-year old husband.

I was forced to marry at FIVE – while living in UK: Horrific story of the British child bride

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Daily Mail:

  • Victim tells how her childhood was shockingly ended by the ceremony she mistook for a birthday party
  • Forced abroad to live with her husband in Pakistan, she suffered years of abuse before finally finding the strength to seek a divorce
  • Now a successful entrepreneur, she wants to show girls in her position there is light at the end of the tunnel

By Rebecca Seales

PUBLISHED: 06:12 EST, 8 April 2012 | UPDATED: 06:46 EST, 8 April 20

Trapped: Mrs Shah - who has adopted a pseudonym for her own protection - was forced into marriage at just five years old, despite living in an ordinary British town (picture posed by model)Trapped: Mrs Shah – who has adopted a pseudonym for her own protection – was forced into marriage at just five years old, despite living in an ordinary British town (picture posed by model)

A successful businesswoman has told of her agony after being forced into an abusive marriage at the age of five – despite living in Britain.

Samina Shah, who is now in her 40s and too frightened to reveal her real name, spoke out after revelations that Britain’s Forced Marriage Unit had handled the case of another five-year-old girl last year.

Mrs Shah said she believed she was being dressed for her fifth birthday party on the day of the Islamic ceremony which effectively ended her childhood.

She told The Sun: ‘There was a lot of activity – a lot of relatives in the house. I was dressed up in an outfit which my mother-in-law had bought for me.

‘My sister told me later that my mother-in-law had said, “At last, the beautiful girl belongs to me!”‘

Pondering why a tiny girl from a large northern town would be forced to undergo such an ordeal, she said she thought it was to do with maintaining tradition – and control.

Mrs Shah was born into a close-knit Asian community, and while her family lived in Britain they remained true to the conventions of remote Pakistani villages.

Aged just 13, she was removed from school without explanation. Instead of an education, she was taught that a woman’s place was in the home – and reminded that the greater her sufferings on earth, the more lavish her reward would be in Paradise.

Samina was still a frightened girl of 14 when she went through the formal wedding ceremony which marked her transition from her parents’ house to that of her husband. At 6am the day after, she was forced onto a plane to Pakistan, told only that she would return to Britain with her husband when she reached 16.

Long before that time, the teenager endured the forced consummation of her marriage after suffering an appalling beating.

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Forced marriage: Girl aged five among 400 minors helped

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Back in the day we had names for ‘forced marriage’ that were actually meaningful. Rape and slave were two of them. Pedophilia was another. Of  course, the term ‘forced marriage’ is an oxymoron to us in the West and for me actually causes a kind of cognitive dissonance as of course, marriage by definition is a consensual contract between two adults. It cannot be forced or with a child by very definition.

Eeyore

BBC:

By Poonam Taneja BBC Asian Network

bride's hands Forcing someone to marry against their will is already a criminal offence in Scotland

A five-year-old girl is thought to have become the UK’s youngest victim of forced marriage.

She was one of 400 children to receive assistance from the government’s Forced Marriage Unit in the last year.

The figures have emerged as the public consultation into criminalising forced marriage in England, Wales and Northern Ireland comes to an end.

Amy Cumming, joint head of the Forced Marriage Unit, said 29% of the cases it dealt with last year involved minors.

“The youngest of these was actually five years old, so there are children involved in the practice across the school age range,” she said.

To protect the child, the authorities have not disclosed details of the case or where the marriage took place.

But the case comes as no surprise to the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO), which deals with more than 100 cases of forced marriage a year.

“We have had clients who are in their very early teens, 11-year-olds, 12-year-olds, the youngest case we had was nine years old,” said IKWRO campaigns officer Fionnuala Murphy.

Now the consultation on forced marriage has come to an end, IKWROs hope it will become a criminal offence.

“Our organisation is pro-criminalisation because we believe that it will empower victims to know that this is a crime, to stand up to their parents and to stand up for their own rights and it will enable them to come forward and seek help and say what’s happening to me is wrong.”

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Teenage lovers kill themselves in death pact leap after girl was forced into arranged marriage

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Daily Mail:

By Ted Thornhill

Last updated at 6:51 PM on 14th February 2012

Police say two teenagers jumped to their death from a mobile phone tower in Bangladesh after the girl was forced to marry another man.

Police officer Sharmin said the boy called his brother and said the two were dying on Valentine’s Day to stay together forever. The teens tied their hands with a scarf before committing suicide today.

It happened in the town of Gopalganj, 104 kilometres (65 miles) southwest of the capital.

Bond: The two teens tied their hands together and leaped to their deaths (file picture)Bond: The two teens tied their hands together and leaped to their deaths (file picture)

Sharmin quoted the families as saying the girl was married two months ago and sent to her husband’s home in Dhaka, the country’s capital.

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