11 and Married: Malaysia Spars Over an Age-Old Practice

[asterix]

GUA MUSANG, Malaysia — Norazila and Ayu were best friends and they shared everything that girls do: sleepovers, selfies, musings about cute boys.

 

But their friendship, which had blossomed in their placid hamlet in northern Malaysia, was destroyed late last month when Norazila, 14, discovered that Ayu, 11, had secretly become her father’s third wife.

 

“My best friend is my stepmother now,” said Norazila, whose family name is Che Abdul Karim, as she scrolled through her Facebook page filled with posts of the girls posing with adolescent pouts and fingers forming peace signs. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

 

Ayu’s marriage to Che Abdul Karim Che Abdul Hamid, a 41-year-old rubber trader with a prominent role at his mosque and a fleet of fancy cars, has reignited debate in Malaysia about the persistence of conservative Islamic traditions in this modern, multiethnic democracy.

 

In its election manifesto, the opposition coalition that won power in May promised to outlaw child marriage.

 

Link: https://nyti.ms/2K6Xgw1

[velu]

41 going 14 or 14 going 41

 

[Ranvir]

Aloha Snackbar.

[Stradlater]

This is nothing. At least 11 year olds these days enter puberty. It's worse in Iran where there have been reports of middle aged scoundrels marrying 7-8 year olds.

 

[beetle]

Pedophile scumbags

[Ranvir]

What do you expect when Mo did something similar.

 

The poor girl even used to wipe off the stains from his clothes after he was done. It’s clearly written.