Strange that you, and others highlighted sharia law.
Why?
Sharia law (Arabic: شريعة
is the body of Islamic law.
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia_law[/QUOTE]
But why not highlight the more deserving cases?
It's this pre-occupation with islamic practices that determine your, and others, islamophobia.
Because almost all of this thread has been about Islamic practices / prejudices, and therefore it is relevant to use relevant examples.
I was merely putting forward what I believed to be referenced evidence, that I considered relevant to the content of the majority of the thread.
And supported your view and argument.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_marriage#Prevalence_data
Scroll down to the Prevalence Data table.
Click on the link for each of the top 20 child marriage countries in it (I got bored after India). (all percentages from wikipedia, as well)
Highest prevalence of child marriage - Niger (99% muslim)
2nd - Chad - 54% muslim
etc
12th - India - 13.4%
I then decided to look up some more Wiki-links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_marriage_in_India
Child marriage in India, according to Indian law, is a marriage where either the woman is below age 18 or the man is below age 21.[1] Most child marriages involve underage women, many of whom are in poor socio-economic conditions.[2]
Child marriages are prevalent in India
Under protests from Muslim organizations in the undivided British India, a personal law Shariat Act was passed in 1937 that allowed child marriages with consent from girl's guardian.
The child marriage prevention laws have been challenged in Indian courts, with some Muslim Indian organizations seeking no minimum age and that the age matter be left to their personal law.
Jharkand, with the highest child marriage rate in India (14.1%)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jharkhand#Religion
Hinduism is the major religion in the state with 68.57% adherents followed by Islam (14.5%) and Christianity (4.5%) as per 2001 census.
Now, shoot my maths down if you want, but logic alone might dictate that if approx. 14% of the population of a state are child married, and 14% of the population of that same state are a particular religion, there is a good likelihood that particular religion account for almost all of the child marriages?
Do you still insist that the "vast majority of child brides are nothing to do with Islam."?
Hypothetically speaking, when a population gets educated, child marriage declines.
The world renown and respected professionals insist that poverty is the primary and over-riding influence.
Historically speaking, not hypothetically but historically, education and poverty are not mutually exclusive.
There are numerous example throughout history of educationally and/or militarily advanced people taking advantage and subjugating others into poverty.
Australia, America, Canada, South America, West Indies, India, Africa, UK.
There are current examples of this educationally advanced "classes" subjugating, sometimes the masses, into poverty: China, Asia, Middle East, South America, perhaps even some European countries.
Also, poverty is often aligned with a rise in under-age pregnancies, even in "civilised" countries.
Yet despite this overwhelming evidence and respected opinion, you still suggest that your view is paramount to other respected professionals who have carried out primary research to arrive at their conclusion that there is no one religion that is responsible for child brides.
No one religious affiliation was associated with child marriage, according to a 2007 ICRW study. Rather, a variety of religions are associated with child marriage in countries throughout the world.
http://www.icrw.org/child-marriage-facts-and-figures
If you wish, I will reiterate: "The vast majority of child brides are nothing to do with Islam."
As stated earlier, religion (no one religion) plays a minor influence in child brides, but the primary cause is poverty.
