Yemeni Child Bride Hailed As Hero

CBS Evening News: Married Off As A 9-Year-Old, This Girl Fought Back

(CBS)  Nujood Ali is anything but your typical kid in a candy store.

In fact, there's nothing typical about the 10-year-old Yemeni girl, CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller reports.

At Carnegie Hall, Nujood became one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year - their youngest ever.

And at the United Nations, she told her story to representatives from a dozen or so U.N. agencies.

She went on to meet Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

But she's also recently spent time in her native Yemen, where just last February, when she was only 9 years old, she was forced into marriage by her father.

"Did you know what marriage was when your parents told you you were going to get married?" Miller asked her through a translator.

"No, I did not know what marriage meant," Nujood said through a translator.

It's not uncommon for children to be married in Yemen, but it is unusual and unlawful for those marriages to be consummated before the bride turns 15.

But that's what happened to Nujood.

"I was really scared and I cried a lot every night," she said. "In the morning and in the night."

But she didn't cry for long. Two weeks into the marriage, Nujood said "enough." She went - all by herself - to court and asked for a divorce.

"I said to her, 'please smile and trust me, I would like to help you,'" said Yemeni lawyer Shada Nasser.

Nasser, who was also honored by Glamour, took - and won - the case of Yemen's first-ever child divorce.

"Is she a hero in her country?" Miller asked.

"Yes, of course," Nasser said.

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Read more about Nujood's story at Couric & Co. blog.

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But Nasser is Nujood's hero. Now Nujood is back in school and says she wants to become a laywer herself … "So I can help other little girls like myself," she said.

And she already has.

At least three Yemeni children have gotten divorces since Nujood paved the way.

[downsteamjim]

How old was Mohammed''s youngest bride? There was a book to be published about her, but since Muslim censorship is okay with liberal journalists, it was effectively banned worldwide..

[differnet]

downsteamjim, Geesh! At the time Mohammed lived, it was common in Europe for the aristocrats to betroth children as young as infancy. Marriages were often completed when children were 11, 12, 13, etc - including consumation. You had best d*mn your European ancestors at the same time if you want to try that type of smear. By the way, I''m a practicing Christian and you are embarrassing me because people are going to assume you are one too.

[gotagrip]

Another example of the clash between the middle ages and modernity in the Arab culture. Its what is holding them back. Kinda like the conservatives in America doing the same with their religious extremism.

[grandesign]

Where''s cresentgirl for her rational explaination of this? Marriage to a nine year old girl is fine in Islamic culture. It tribalism in the 21st century, in an area assoicated with the craddle of civiliation, NOT.

[grandesign]

"I''m a practicing Christian and you are embarrassing me because people are going to assume you are one too."
Posted by differnet at 10:08 PM : Nov 25, 2008

You should be emarrassed. Comparing the 12th century to the 21st century. Do you drive a car, or still ride a cammel?

[summarex]

I wonder how many Yemenis come here to demand that Americans adopt a different way of life in order to comply with the values of the people of Yemen.

Stop the meddling!

[earache4]

How old was Mohammed''s youngest bride? There was a book to be published about her, but since Muslim censorship is okay with liberal journalists, it was effectively banned worldwide..
Posted by downsteamjim at 08:59 PM

6, consummated at 9.

[earache4]

6, consummated at 9.
Posted by earache4 at 03:44 AM

Sorry, that should read raped at 9.

[credibility2]

These types of uncivilized and stupid practices are the result of cultures that are uneducated and oppressively patriarchal. Such practices are also keeping in very repressive religions in third world countries, such as Islam.

[closethippy1]

Another example of the clash between the middle ages and modernity in the Arab culture. Its what is holding them back. Kinda like the conservatives in America doing the same with their religious extremism.
Posted by gotagrip at 11:13 PM : Nov 25, 2008

Hee, hee. How true. The religious right in the US would love to make of the US the Saudi Arabia of the industrialized world.
Too late for that. Obama''s win can only signal the beginning of the end for these J Freaks who''ll sooner than later end up marginalized like the Nazis and the KKK: They''ll still be making some noise but no one will be paying atention to them anymore.
Good riddance to all that!

[runningralph]

In primitive cultures like Islam and Hindu arranged marriages are common. *** with underage girls is legal. If the girl had not been married, she could have been honor murdered by her family. Before Americans get too self-righteous they should remember we have elected a new President with strong ties to Islam, with Louis Farakhan, and who has written that he will stand with his Muslim brothers, who has received large campaign contributions from Islamics. Also, in the US there is a large illegal child porn business. And don''t forget Jim Jones, David Koresh and the "*** before eight or it''s too late" movement in the US, and priest child abuse. A free society develops blemishes.

[berniepeders]

I''m sorry, but any ''religion'' or lifestyle that condones marrying and/or having a s-e-x-u-a-l relationship with a female younger than 18 is wrong. I don''t care how old their ''tradition'' is, it''s still wrong. Case closed.
Peace

[closethippy1]

Interesting how since Obama won the entire world is moving forward to a more civilized type of life.
The neocon neanderthals who kept arguing the US had the right to do as it pleased because corrupt leaders in third world countries were doing the same are all gone.
Never to be seen again.
Now with a more humanitarian US will come a more humanitarian world. The next eight years will see an incredible leap in civilized behavior throughout the world thanks to the wise leaders who are now in charge of the US.

[bjcone8559]

When is this lie going to die? You neocons keep trying to slip it into the discussion when everyone knows that quote is a deceitful attempt by the right to take Obama out of context.

Posted by rafterman1

For several election cycles now the the republicans have campaigned on nothing but lies. Remember the lie, "Al Gore said he invented the internet"? Here is the real quote....


"During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country''s economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system."


Clearly, although Gore''s phrasing might have been a bit clumsy (and perhaps self-serving), he was not claiming that he "invented" the Internet (in the sense of having designed or implemented it), but that he was responsible, in an economic and legislative sense, for fostering the development the technology that we now know as the Internet.

[ybotheratall]

priest child abuse
Posted by runningralph at 08:38 AM
_________________________
Don''t forget to include rabbis, ministers and other clergy in your rant about child abuse. It''s not just priests doing it. Just google it and you will find MANY cases of it. It''s teachers, coaches, mentors, uncles, neighbors etc. The Catholic just got singled out by the biased media and those from other religions who wish to hide their own pedophiles and their shame.

As far as this little girl is concerned, she is a poster child for the horrific, barbaric, hypocritical foulness that is Islam. Islamics are murderers, rapists, oppressors and everything else that is wrong with this world.

[cbsbigots]

She had better get the he11 out of that backward psycho country before some pahtetic beak nosed purple d1cked idiot kills her.

[jsklinemn]

To some of you; this story has absolutely nothing to do with politics in the US, nor does it have to do with Obama and such. Some of you are so stuck on this issue that it has not only clouded your day to day thinking, but you are appearing now to be "obsessed" with Obama. Maybe you should see a shrink..

As to the girl from Yamen; good going. She''s learning the world is more than what just Yamen has to offer.

[teri0728]

To jsklinemn:

You''re an idiot. Shut up!

[teri0728]

You too rafterman1. You people are STILL harping on President-Elect Obama. Give me a *** break! McSame lost - get over it already.

Even though I don''t care for your moniker CBSbigot, I agree with you implicitedly. Obama is going to be the President, whether you nuts like it or not. And all of these fallacies you''re espousing? I wish I could be a fly on the wall once you''re proven wrong. You sickos go with a lie, know it''s a lie, and want to harp on that lie until the cows come home!

It you weren''t so absurd, you''d be hilarious. Grow up already!

[jsklinemn]

See. When you speak the truth here to some folks, it hits a nerve--hard. And as expected, they react. We''re going to see more and more of this as time goes on.

[teri0728]

Again, you''re an idiot. When you''ve grown a pair, we can talk. Later!

[kali41-2009]

"but it is unusual and unlawful for those marriages to be consummated before the bride turns 15."
"At least three Yemeni children have gotten divorces since Nujood paved the way.%u201D
Does not seem that this type of behavior is as uncommon as you would have us believe. Where is the outrage that within one year, her case was won, and there are now 3 more cases pending? To have so many so fast, there have to be a vast amount of girls who are afraid to come forward. It is simple logic. Take any other kind of abusive situation we''ll use domestic violence, spousal abuse to be exact. How many adult women come forward with their complaints of being physically assaulted compared to those who refuse to press charges or are not "officially" reported? I don''t know the exact figures off hand but let''s go with a low-ball figure of 1 in every 20. Now, let''s adjust that figure to affected child spouses. How many times easier would you say it is to intimidate a child into silence? 10, 25, 50? Again we will low-ball it and call it 10. That would make it a 1 in 200 chance that a little girl would come forward with complaints against a much older spouse. Figure there have been 4 cases in one year. That means that there would be at least 800 cases of child/spousal rape that have been not reported or acted upon in one year. I applaud this young lady for being brave enough to stand up. I cast shame on the media for downplaying and ignoring the others that this girl has stood up for.

[impeach___w]

you may be fighting for this and not even know it...

"I am a United Nations fighting person. I serve in the forces which maintain world peace and every nation''s way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense."

no F''n WAy I would fight for this way of life!

[crescentgirl]

runningralph, do you even know what Islam is? Islam is a religion not a culture. And an Islamic marriage is not valid unless the woman and the man agree to it. There has to be consent from both sides. If one of the parties has not reached an age where he/she can give consent to the marriage, then the marriage is not valid (a child has not reached maturity and as a result cannot give his or her consent). If one of the parties (bride or groom) does not consent to the marriage, then it is not a valid Islamic marriage. Now, if a father forces a girl to get married, that is another question altogether..that is the fault of the father and is not from Islam....get your facts straight before you spew hate.

[leeanna58]

So, what has happened to the girl? If she was married off by her father and now she has gotten a divorce, where does she go. Did her father take her back. Would her father not feel "shame?" In their culture, her father or her husband could stone her to death.

[leeanna58]

Islam is a religion not a culture.

Posted by crescentgirl

Well, that might be true, but the religion is definitely tied to the culture. The religion dictates, dress, eating habits, prayer time, family life, shopping hours, and on and on, and you can''t tell me that all of that is not part of the culture.

[crescentgirl]

Grandesign, what are u talking about? your comments don''t make sense. I never said that forcing a child to marry is an acceptable thing. Where did you get that from? I simply said an Islamic marriage is not valid unless you have consent from both parties. A person cannot give their consent to marriage unless they have reached the age of maturity.

[kali41-2009]

@rafterman
"An ellipsis [ %u2026 ] proves to be a handy device when you''re quoting material and you want to omit some words. The ellipsis consists of three evenly spaced dots (periods) with spaces between the ellipsis and surrounding letters or other marks." (http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/ellipsis.htm)
The usage of the ellipsis is only misleading, but not incorrect. The ellipsis are actually there to let the reader know that there is more to the quote, not just what was notated. To just have the portion of the quote "I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction" would be to take the quote out of context. But since he also provided the beginning of the quote as well as the end of the quote, an educated reader should be able to infer that the author is referencing the quote in its entirety. Your problem seems to be his interpretation of the quote, so your arguments should be kept on that basis. It only hurts your arguments when you resort to accusations such as calling someone deceitful.

[kali41-2009]

@ crescentgirl
Under Islam what is the age of maturity? Also, how can a father force someone to consent when they are legally not old enough to consent? Would that not be a betrothal instead? While only betrothed, is not the girl to reside at her parents%u2019 house?
@ closethippy
Do you even read the news? Venezuela and Russia are moving missiles and warships into place. South Korea is jailing people for adultery. China is sentencing black people to death for drug smuggling. Iran is building more centrifuges and improving the range of their ballistic missiles, all while still maintaining the need to wipe a country of the face of the planet. Iceland has people rioting. How many drugs have you done that this appears more civilized?
@gotgrip
Not all Republicans are conservative (example John McCain.) Not all conservatives are members of the religious right. These types of misconceptions are exactly what you are accusing those who do not share your views of. It would be like me saying that all Democrats are atheist ***. They are not; to say so would be untrue; and anyone who believes that is an idiot.
@nowaymcgoo
Try to show me a single election cycle anytime, in any country, where a politician conducted their entire campaign with nothing but pure unadulterated truth.

[kali41-2009]

@rafterman
1. I did not argue that misquoting or taking a quote out of context is deceitful.
2. "Long winded" is a term that is more appropriately used in reference to speech, not written or typed text. Especially since no wind comes from the computer screen. "Overly verbose," "wordy," "tiresomely long," or "drawn out" would have all been acceptable though.
3. I was merely pointing out that you were incorrect in your assertion that Rowdydfw was taking a quote out of context. Now if you had instead asserted that runningralph was misquoting Obama, you would have been correct. But, as it is neither of those two posters were taking anything %u201Cout of context.%u201D
4. The fact that not everyone interprets that passage the same way goes to show that the media did not do their job properly over the last election cycle. If there is any question the public has about a statement made by those in political office, it is part of the obligation of a journalist to seek clarification. To date I know of no interviews with Obama for clarification of that passage, and others, that have been questioned. If you have a link to one I will be happy to view/follow it.

[libsh8theusa]

Islam.. a religion of peace and love.. for small children and goats..

[andrew_693]

we can say the same thing for american christians, they rape children also, just come to texas and you will find them in armed compounds where they do the raping all the time and afterwards go to Utah, the child rape capital of the world. Never since Soddom and Gomorrah such p[erverversion was allowed in a mass scale.

[runningralph]

rafterman says I am repeating a lie when I say Obama said he will stand with his Muslim brothers and the he goes on to directly quote the passage where Obama will stand with the Muslims. He call it a lie then he repeats it himself. Odd.

[mrmeatspin]

islam is good if you live in the desert as a nomad..