Cultural subjectivity is a murky subject. I'll go ahead and say that a cleric marrying a 9 year old is wrong. I could say it's wrong because she hasn't even hit puberty yet...
But the Koran says that a girl should have her first period in the house of her husband. Since this is the law in places like Saudi Arabia, does that make them justified in doing so? I'd say no, but I'd be hard pressed to give you a solid qualifier for when it is ok.
It's legal, in my state, to get married at 14 with parental consent. So if you're 50 and can convince a girl's parents to sign off on it, it's perfectly legal. I don't think that's ok, but this is the American southwest, and we have some laws that harken back to the frontier days.
Unfortunately, there is no magical sign that shows up on your forehead that says, "I'm ready for sex." when you're finally ready for it. It's a complex and deeply personal issue that probably shouldn't be handled in a courtroom unless signs of coercion or intoxication exist.
But the Koran says that a girl should have her first period in the house of her husband. Since this is the law in places like Saudi Arabia, does that make them justified in doing so? I'd say no, but I'd be hard pressed to give you a solid qualifier for when it is ok.
It's legal, in my state, to get married at 14 with parental consent. So if you're 50 and can convince a girl's parents to sign off on it, it's perfectly legal. I don't think that's ok, but this is the American southwest, and we have some laws that harken back to the frontier days.
Unfortunately, there is no magical sign that shows up on your forehead that says, "I'm ready for sex." when you're finally ready for it. It's a complex and deeply personal issue that probably shouldn't be handled in a courtroom unless signs of coercion or intoxication exist.
