Court: Man Stuck With Lying Virgin Bride

French Court Overturns Annulment For Muslim Man Who Discovered Bride Wasn't A Virgin

(AP)  A French appeals court on Monday reinstated the marriage of a Muslim man who had sought an annulment because his bride lied about being a virgin.

The controversial case pitted France's secular values against the traditions of its growing immigrant communities.

The couple married in 2006 but the husband quickly sought an annulment after discovering on their wedding night that his bride had lied about her virginity.

In April, a lower court in the northern town of Douai granted the annulment, saying the woman "acquiesced" to the man's demand for one "based on a lie concerning her virginity."

On Monday, the appeals court in Douai overturned the annulment, effectively ruling that the couple is again married, said lawyer Xavier Labbee, representing the husband.

Labbee said Monday's ruling amounted to a "forced marriage." He criticized "the intrusion of the notion of secularism into the most intimate parts of family life."

Both the woman and the man opposed the appeal, according to their lawyers. The woman's lawyer, Charles-Edouard Mauger, has said she was distraught by the dragging out of the humiliating case.

The couple must now seek a divorce if they want to separate.

Prosecutors argued the annulment discriminated against women and wanted it thrown out. The lower court had based its decision on an article of the French Civil Code that states that a spouse can seek an annulment if the partner has misrepresented his or her "essential qualities."

The couple, a man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s, has not been identified by name.

In Monday's decision, the appeals court said virginity was not "a condition posed for their union," according to a statement from the prosecutor's office. It said the lie was not enough to justify an annulment.

[questionnews]

Gee, here in America we do all we can to convince others that we are not virgins. I think every guy has lied about that at some point in their lives.

[antoniof123]

Labbee said Monday''s ruling amounted to a "forced marriage."

Get a divorce like it said moron.

[metsobitso]

If marrages were annuled because the wife was not a virgin, there could be be any marrages in France.

[bks59]

but then this groom to take his wife to a more traditional muslim country where stoning the bride for such an indiscretion is acceptable.

[alancontact]

That''s funny. Whatever happened to the idea of getting married because you love someone? So, if this guy is so willing to dump his wife on the wedding night, then that tells me he didn''t love her in the first place. My guess is that he is just trying to marry a young virgin so that he could spread his seed. Love has nothing to do with it. She''s is better off, because she would always be subservient to him, especially if she didn''t deliver him a son. I''m amazed that some people still live in the dark ages. I suppose the answer to why that is would have to do with their religious beliefs.

[bobnjersey]

[Both the woman and the man opposed the appeal, according to their lawyers.]

so then who filed the appeal?

[crescentgirl]

This is the stupidest thing ever. If both of them agreed to specific tenants in a marriage contract and she lied about one of those tenants..then, she is in breech....and the marriage should be nullified. I think the French court system overstepped its bounds here. By the way, the woman would have been better off...if the meddling courts had just let the ''nulify'' ruling stand. By making her get a divorce...she may be viewed as having a ''stain'' against her in some communities and may in fact have a harder time marrying again (if she wishes to do so.) The only way, a nulified contract would be able to stand in an Islamic opinion is if both of them (bride and groom) did not have relations. I think in their over zealousness to help this woman...the prosecutors did more harm than good...and of course, they never bothered to actually see what the woman wanted.

[barbaraf4]

I guess this bride is lucky her Muslim husband didn''t simply murder her on her wedding night. Stoning, right?

[tmittelstaed]

If France allows an annulment to stand based on virginity then they are just giving in to Sharia law. Virginity or non-virginity is not a legitimate breech of contract for a marriage. If the fundamentalists don''t like it then they can remove marriage from state control, so that anti-gay marriage laws would then have no legal basis.

[bobnjersey]

[Whatever happened to the idea of getting married because you love someone? So, if this guy is so willing to dump his wife on the wedding night, then that tells me he didn''''t love her in the first place. ]
[Posted by THX-1139 at 03:32 PM : Nov 17, 2008]

there are many cultures that don''t have love as the primary criteria for marriage. historically, this is not uncommon at all ... where many marriages were made for political reasons ... with love not being anywhere on the radar.

in addition, there are also many cultures who do not see what one ''wants'' to do as an issue ... but rather their role in life has already been set ... their destiny has already been defined ... and it''s only a question of fulfilling that destiny ... regardless of what you may ''want''.

[crescentgirl]

THX-1139, your comments show me that you know nothing about different cultures. In Islamic cultures, there really is no concept of dating as you would know it. Marriages are often arrainged through families/friend networks....i.e...this person knows of that person that is ready to marry, etc. As such, people fall in love with each other after the marriage. I knew my hubby a total of 3 mos before we were married and got to know him and yes, fall in love with him after we got married. He asked my father for my hand and, was respectable and courteous to me and my family and has been to this day. We did not go on our first date together alone...until we were married. He knew i was not someone to fool around with and dump along the way...which is so prevalent in American society (by the way, i was born and raised in the U.S...so, pls save me the foreign ***...i know how it is in this society....i went to school here!!). And yes, i have been happily married to him for a long time now and God has blessed us with a beautiful daughter. So, please....educate yourself before you go commenting on the practices of different cultures that you know nothing about.

[crescentgirl]

tmittelstaed, you''re wrong...this situation has nothing to do with virginity....it is regarding whether this woman broke a contract when she lied about saying she was one. The crux of the matter is the lie...not whether or not she is a virgin. If you enter into a contract with someone and are not truthful about your side of the bargain...then, that should constitute a breech. Religion has nothing to do with it.

[krisd999-2009]

He should have got a prenup in writing, specifiying virginity as a condition and had her independently verified. A judge can''t know if she was a virgin before the man conducted his own "verification" procedure that itself would make her not a virgin.

[frankie2fing]

His fault mate! Should always test drive the car before you buy.

[deathofusa]

Ha ha ha. This is great.

Lady, if you are reading this blog, run, run fast, run far from this stupid idiot of a muslim.

Ha ha ha. I love it.

Ever wonder why these guys want 72 virgins in heaven for? Is it because they get to de-virginize them? Sick. Idiots.

[deathofusa]

That''''s funny. Whatever happened to the idea of getting married because you love someone? So, if this guy is so willing to dump his wife on the wedding night, then that tells me he didn''''t love her in the first place.Posted by THX-1139 at 03:32 PM : Nov 17, 2008


He''s just worried that his weiner is smaller than the first guy. Ha ha ha.

[credibility2]

I''m sure this man was a devout and chaste virginal Muslim.

[deathofusa]

I guess this bride is lucky her Muslim husband didn''''t simply murder her on her wedding night. Stoning, right?
------------------------------------------------------
Posted by barbaraf4 at 03:44 PM : Nov 17, 2008


Absolutely. She is really lucky he didn''t kill her to preserve his honor.

I wonder how he came to the conclusion she was not a virgin? Not all women bleed. Was that his test. What a moron.

[gop_will_win]

Well this should teach the ladies not to have pre marital s-e-x.

[deathofusa]

I think what happened was that when he finally saw her without her burka, he said h e l l NO. I''m outta here and claimed she was not a virgin. Typical muslim idiot.

[johnstossel]

He should have gotten a pilot''s license, flew a plane into an American building and he would then have 72 virgins!!!

[questionnews]

Ever wonder why these guys want 72 virgins in heaven for? Is it because they get to de-virginize them? Sick. Idiots.

Posted by deathofUSA at 04:20 PM : Nov 17, 2008

I never got that. For anybody that been with one virgin you''re going be saying "Ah gee, will you stop crying" or "did it really hurt that bad?" Now if they were expecting 72 beautiful experienced women, that might be something worth dying for!

[blindhowlin]

Hmmm...72 virgins divided by all eternity just doesn''t sound like that good of a deal to me...

[crescentgirl]

"I guess this bride is lucky her Muslim husband didn''''''''t simply murder her on her wedding night. Stoning, right?
--------------------------------------
----------------
Posted by barbaraf4 at 03:44 PM : Nov 17, 2008


Absolutely. She is really lucky he didn''''t kill her to preserve his honor.

I wonder how he came to the conclusion she was not a virgin? Not all women bleed. Was that his test. What a moron. "
********************************************

I find it funny that the thing that you guys are making fun of this guy for...''complete and utter ignorance''....is exactly what you have of different cultures. Have either of you ever visited a country outside of the western hemisphere? Or even met anybody that is a Muslim? My guess would be...probably not.

[pete_in_az]

hmm.. the first comment got deleted.

it was funny.

it read something like, "cbs got the title of this article wrong, it should have read ''France Stuck With Wife Beating Jihadist''"

[deathofusa]

I find it funny that the thing that you guys are making fun of this guy for...''''complete and utter ignorance''''....is exactly what you have of different cultures. Have either of you ever visited a country outside of the western hemisphere? Or even met anybody that is a Muslim? My guess would be...probably not.
------------------------------------------------------
Posted by crescentgirl at 04:51 PM : Nov 17, 2008


Sorry. I have no desire to either. You are speaking from your experience and luckily you have had a good experience. Obviously, your parents cared about who you married and didn''t sell you off to the highest bidder, unlike a lot of muslim women. So I also think it is unfair of you to try to paint it as something so wonderful when you do not have a say in the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with. What if the man your parents chose for you was a woman beater? Than what? I think your opinion would be a little different. You should try to be fair to your fellow muslim woman.

[aldon61]

find it funny that the thing that you guys are making fun of this guy for...''''complete and utter ignorance''''....is exactly what you have of different cultures. Have either of you ever visited a country outside of the western hemisphere? Or even met anybody that is a Muslim? My guess would be...probably not.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by crescentgirl at 04:51 PM : Nov 17, 2008

I''ve known muslims in my life. There are some that are very much as you describe, but there are others that are totally intolerant of western culture. In this city, Lewsiville, Texas two years ago, a taxi driver killed both of his daughters in cold blood and fled the area with the help of some sympathetic to this "honor" killing. He is still on the run and not likely to get caught anytime soon. So, while you''re bashing these "idiots" on this board, you best know that they are reacting to this kind of publicity. And yes, as I stated up front, I have also known very nice families thaat are muslim, and they are as you have described, very loving and happy. Unfortunately, the bad eggs draw more attention.

[toolmangler-2009]

It would serve the Muslim men right if all Muslim women were virgins when they died of old age.
It would solve this worlds problem with religious slaughter.

[amurguz]

Who wants a virgin anyways? More headache then its worth.

[benobana]

The real truth is that she was and still is a Virgine, he just wasn''t man enought to do anything about it!

[deathofusa]

Who wants a virgin anyways? More headache then its worth.
------------------------------------------------------
Posted by amurguz at 05:15 PM : Nov 17, 2008


You know, I think if you can wait, it''s great. But I don''t think it is something you should be stoned for. I don''t think this woman''s life should be over because of it. That''s the stupidist thing I have heard.

[crescentgirl]

"Sorry. I have no desire to either...."
)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Ah, ingorance yet again....who said you don''t have a say in who you get to marry? Islamically speaking, your marriage is not valid unless both parties (the man and the WOMAN) agree to it. My father asked me...before he allowed the marriage...that is how Islamic marriages should be conducted. (Anything else is not of Islam.) In Islam, you cannot force a woman to marry someone against her will. Yes, it does occur...some women are married off against their will...but, this is not of Islam...the blame lies squarely on the father (or family..depending on the situation). Abuse of women, occurs across cultures and barriers and for you to paint Muslim men with a single paint brush of abuse is also unfair and...very much misguided. In Islam, the father...is the protector/Wali of his daughter and no man can marry her without his permission (unless she has been divorced before--then she can make the decision without consulting her parents) and the father must conduct the marriage according to the wishes of the daughter...that is Islam...not the ignorance you are spewing. As far as your question about the wife beater goes...in Islam, a women has the right to divorce her husband....if she feels that she cannot live with him for any reason. If you have not found the bliss of marriage, then I feel for you...it is truly a wonderful thing...if you find the right person for you.

[deathofusa]

Maude and Claude, both 91, lived in The Villages, in Florida. They met at the singles club meeting and discovered over time that they enjoyed each other''s company. After several weeks of meeting for coffee, Claude asked Maude out for dinner and, much to his delight, she accepted. They had a lovely evening. They dined at the most romantic restaurant in town.

Despite his age, they ended at his place for an after-dinner drink. Things continued along a natural course and age being no inhibitor, Maude soon joined Claude for a most enjoyable roll in the sack.

As they were basking in the glow of the magic moments they''d shared, each was lost for a time in their own thoughts...

Claude was thinking: "If I''d known she was a virgin, I''d have been gentler."

Maude was thinking: "If I''d known he could still do it, I would have taken off my pantyhose.

[violist47]

It''s about time Christians started looking at their own past. Even when I was growing up, in the 1960''s, losing your virginity before marriage was a sin. You all seem to think that, for women, the right to premarital *** is normal, and so it should be. However, we had to fight for that right! My parents, like many of my friends'' parents, wanted to disinherit me when they found out I was sleeping with my young man. They thought of me as a "ruined woman" and assumed no self-respecting man would want "used goods." I think these attitudes towards women are among the most frightening aspects of fundamentalist Islam - but they are also among the most frightening aspects of fundamentalist Christianity.

[michaelcook2]

Was he a virgin also? Probably not, and he is so self-righteous about virginity!

[michaelcook2]

Muslim families need to stop raising their sons with MALE PRIVILEDGE, and teaching them they are superior to women, and men should supervise women''s morality. It is complete B.S. It is total hypocracy that girls are expected to stay virgins until marriage, but men and boys are NEVER asked if they are virgins!

[incog-nito]

They should have approved the annulment. I foresee an "honor killing" in the near future.

[deathofusa]

They should have approved the annulment. I foresee an "honor killing" in the near future.
------------------------------------------------------
Posted by incog-nito at 06:09 PM : Nov 17, 2008


Absolutely. Why force the marriage on him either? Let it be.

[michaelcook2]

Too bad France has admitted so many muslims, now they have to deal with muslim''s backward culture, violence and hostility to "western values". French people live in peach and equality, (as do most western countries) to socialize naturally with men, and women friends, couples, work together, educate kids together, where girls and boys, men and women can relate to each other in equality, and enjoy each other company..... AS IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN FOR FOUR THOUSAND YEARS IN EUROPE, WITH THE CELTIC CULTURES ACROSS EUROPE AND NORDIC PEOPLE, AND VIKINGS. IF MUSLIMS DON''T LIKE IT.... GO HOME.

[barbaram99]

This is why I don''t go to church -the hate. I am 54. Yep the male thinks he is boss. Not here he aint. America has sep of church and state. I FEEL FOR THE WOMAN..

[dbstevens]

I agree with the posts here that condemn the notion that women are inferior to men. This world needs to move ahead, and a huge percentage of prejudice, bigotry and denial or rights originates in the religious sectors. What are we going to have to do in order for people to be treated with equality and respect? Ban religion? I have a very strong spiritual faith, but no longer follow a religious dogma because every one of them that I examined had too many elements of prejudice and arrogance in them, which goes completely against my core beliefs.

[scottyusa]

I wonder why she lied if she knew how much it meant to him. I would think that when he brought it up when courting he would have made it clear how much it meant. Islamic laws are a wonder aren''t they? In any case the court was right. Islamic laws do not count in France and they shouldn''t anywhere else except in Islamic countries. This is why I think Muslims are the worst kind of immigrant. They are the only ones that I know of that want to bring their own laws into a host country. This is not like bringing in a culture. We should all welcome deversity but then there has to be limits.

[krenz4]

seems to me that if Muslims want to be so devout and have the law stand up on their side, they would remain in their muslim countries where there is no question? Why move to a western country and expect them to honor your backward ideas? If they hate the west so much, why go there? If he was at home, he could have stoned the "***" by now! (sarcasm here)

[krenz4]

He might have been the one that "had" her before the wedding!

[questionnews]

Hmmm...72 virgins divided by all eternity just doesn''''t sound like that good of a deal to me...

Posted by blindhowlin at 04:49 PM : Nov 17, 2008

There was a Family Guy episode where a suicide bomber gets to to his "great reward" opens the door to see 72 total geek Trekkies (Star Trek fans).
Muslims never say what gender the virgins are or why they are virgins. Now we know.

[bobgee_1999]

Virginity is very important to Muslim men. They fear comparison.

[rudy6543]

I don''t know why the French Court would want to force the poor woman to married to the scum in the first place. Go figure.

[dkhorse1]

Die for Allah and get 72 virgins, for an eternity?

72 virgins don''t seem like much for an eternity.

Where are the virgins coming from? Not from here.

[rudy6543]

As with most religious fanatics, Muslim men can be some of the biggest hypocrits. In their cities there is all kinds of prostitution, including homosexual, and yet, they turn around and stone a woman for adultery or someone for homosexuality when it suits them to be big bad guys. Even the 9/11 terrorists spent the previous nights out with prostitutes.

[cheteunice]

What''s new? Women lie all the time. Most can''t be seen with their real faces showing.