10 Year Olds OK To Marry, Says Senior Saudi Official

By Katy Kelleher | January 14, 2009 | 2:30pm

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Saudi Arabia’s most senior Muslim cleric has recently been quoted as saying it’s acceptable for girls as young as 10 years old to marry.

A pan-Arab newspaper picked up the quote by the country’s grand mufti, which made its way to the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper. The remarks were made during a lecture Monday, in which the cleric also stated that those who believe women should not marry before 25 are following a “bad path.” His comments come in response to recent attempts by Saudi human rights groups to put an end to marriages involving children. The National Human Right Commission has condemned the practice of marrying off young girls as an “inhumane violation.”